Oddworld: Al's Exoddus
by TheManFromMudos
Summary: He's back! That's right, ladies and gentlemen. That Slig/Human we all know so well has returned! There's a whole new story full of excitement, oddventure, and Alan: So, read on and enjoy. It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus! THANK YOU!
1. Chapter 1 - Oddworld: Al's Exoddus

*NOTE – Hello everybody, I am TheManFromMudos, and the time has finally come! The time for Alan to set out on his next great adventure. You've waited long enough, so I won't keep you in suspense any longer. Here are the first three chapters of the new story. Read on, and enjoy: It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!*

*DISCLAIMER – I do not now, nor have I ever, nor will I ever, own Oddworld Inhabitants or any of the characters mentioned in the story henceforth. Apart from Alan. And Dave. And… Ok, a few of them are mine. But I didn't create Oddworld Inhabitants. You can thank Lorne Lanning for that. Thanks, Lorne.*

 **ASHBRIDGE INHABITANTS PRESENTS…**

 **AN** _ **AL**_ **IVE EXPERIENCE…**

 **ODDWORLD: AL'S EXODDUS**

"This is Trosking. Long ago, it was a humble town in the heart of the country. That was before the government started building here. They used the townsfolk to do it: good men who worked hard to forge greatness. The government didn't want anyone to know what they were building there. And no one ever did. Not until they'd transformed the meager town into a huge city of international status. Now, I live here."

"That's me: My name is Al! I had just returned from saving 1 Mudokon from Rupture Farms. Now, I was at home, waiting for whatever situation I was thrown into next…"

The sun shone down on Trosking that early autumn morning. The leaves on the trees were just the slightest tinge of amber. I awoke early, and got straight out of my bed. Answers had waited. One night was long enough. I went downstairs and began to puzzle out the events of the last three weeks in my head. Some of my questions, I answered for myself. For example, I knew that, although I had killed Dave, he was still alive, because after I had saved Abe the timeline had righted itself, and I had ceased to exist in the Oddworld universe. Other questions still remained unanswered, though. Like how had Abe known who I was, even though I'd never met him before?

Hours later, I was at my dining room table. I had a pad of paper in front of me, as well as several pens. Pages of notes were strewn across the table, all of which I'd written to try and help to figure out what had happened to me yesterday. Had I really been gone for just a single second? It was three weeks, I could swear. A laptop rested on my lap, and I searched all I could for people with similar stories to my own. Obviously, there were very few, as it's not often that you get sucked into a fictional universe for three weeks, without actually aging a second in the real world! I soon realised the internet was not going to give me answers.

After another couple of hours, I'd managed to piece a lot of information together. Using some science, some maths, and a little bit of common sense, I'd discovered the following:

It was entirely possible that in the vast expanse that is our universe, the planet of Oddworld could exist somewhere out there.

It also stood to reason that _if_ time travel was possible, I could have traveled on Oddworld for three weeks and still have been delivered back to the same time on Earth.

If the TASM was what I thought it was, it could have also easily transported me across the universe faster than light. Faster than _time_.

If I was taken to Oddworld for a purpose, and I'd fulfilled it, I should theoretically have been brought back to Earth, which I was.

So, I'd managed to answer a few of the big questions. But many more still remained. Unfortunately, it was getting late once again. I'd managed to kill a whole day trying to figure out what had happened to me. So, off to bed I went, ready to continue my search for answers the next day. At this point, I had no idea what was still to come. Well, actually, I had a vague idea, and you probably had the same vague idea, because we can't just fill the next 30 chapters with me writing notes, so it's obvious that at some point in the story something's going to… you know what? Let's not break the fourth wall before we've even began.

The next day was just like the day before. Bright, sunny, clear. I hated it. I hated it not because I hate beautiful mornings, but because I could not enjoy this particular beautiful morning at this particular time. I still had work to do. I went to the door and picked up the post, then went to the kitchen and made some tea. All the while, I was thinking. Surely there were answers somewhere. Sitting down in the living room, I peeled open the first envelope. A bill. Most of the others were too, apart from the odd brochure. Then I reached the bottom of the pile.

There was a silver envelope beneath the rest. It had some blue decorations, a sort of… futuristic pattern. I picked it up to find that it was, in fact, made of a thin, bendable metal, like aluminium foil, but slightly thicker. That was the first odd thing.

Opening the envelope, I found that there was no paper inside. In fact, there was a slim, electronic device, which shared the same silver and blue, futuristic pattern. It seemed very hi-tech, much more advanced than any electronic tablet on Earth. That was the second odd thing.

I soon located a button on the device's side, and it powered up to reveal an image on the screen of a planet. It looked very much like the Earth, except the landmasses were distributed in a very different way. I suspected already which planet it was. Then, the word appeared on screen to confirm it. It was Oddworld. And that, my friends, was the third odd thing.


	2. Chapter 2 - The 'Letter'

**Chapter 2 – The 'Letter'**

The screen continued to display the image of Oddworld on the screen. Then, it slowly began to zoom in on the planet. The largest mass of land on the surface was the centre of the zoom. The continent of Mudos. Larger and larger the continent grew, until it took up the entire screen. A vast desert came into focus, and an incredibly thin line ran right the way across it. The Trans-Mudos Continental Railway. The camera moved along the line, crossing mile after mile of desert. Eventually, it reached a curve in the line, but continued to follow it all the same. Soon, a building appeared. The building was quite large, and had several other railway lines connected to it. I realised it must be the Feeco Depot.

The camera stopped moving when the building was in the centre of the screen, and zoomed in once again. Soon, only the building itself was visible on screen. That was when I noticed that something was on the roof. It was a large, white square, like a huge piece of paper. There were black letters on it, too, spelling out just two words:

 **COME, ALAN**

I understood at once. It was a message from Abe. It had to be. But how? Why? It wasn't possible. Once again, I had to sit down and think things through. Somehow, Abe had sent me this message, to summon me back to Oddworld., although how I'd get there was anyone's guess. I whipped out my writing pad again, and scribbled down a few more notes. I'd soon managed to scrape together a bit of insight into what was going on. It seemed that Abe must be facing another difficult situation, and I was the only person he could turn to. That had to be it.

However, just knowing that the message was from Abe wasn't enough. Why did he need me? Nobody had told me that much. And how would I get to him? Once more, I was forced to sit silently, in deep thought, for another ten minutes. Eventually, I had an idea. Getting up off of the sofa, I went to the television and turned it on, along with the PlayStation beneath it. I inserted 'Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus' into the console's disc tray. The television screen lit up and some title credits rolled. Then, I was into the main menu.

Obviously, at the time, my train of thought was that I'd be taken into the game through whatever had taken me there last time. So, I sat and played a little. Eventually, I got bored, and turned off the console. I then looked around the house, to find that absolutely nothing had changed. So, Plan A was a bust. And there was no Plan B.

I went back to the tablet that had come through the post earlier and looked closer at the image on the screen. That was when I noticed it. A minute scribbling underneath my name on the white square. Completely unreadable, I told myself. So, I attempted to interact with the tablet, only to find that I could, in fact, manually zoom in and out. Closer inspection then revealed that the rest of the writing actually read:

 **(DULR STC STC DULR)**

I looked at the words for a moment, quite puzzled. It seemed like total gibberish. Then I began to understand. I immediately turned the television and PlayStation back on, and waited for the game to load once more. Sure enough, the main menu appeared shortly after this. I grabbed a controller and began to press buttons frantically. You see, the message on the poster was actually a cheat code. It was the cheat code that, in the case of 'Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus', allowed the player to start the game from any level. I quickly typed in the entire code: Down, up, left, right… Square, triangle, circle… and so on. After doing this, the familiar level select menu appeared on screen.

Scrolling down the page, I found that there was nothing particularly odd about the levels. They were all the ordinary levels found in the game. I thought hard about what the solution could be. I eventually clicked. The camera on the screen of the tablet had shown an image of the roof of the Feeco Depot. So, I selected that level. The PlayStation then assured me that the level was now loading, and that I should 'sit down and shaddup!' I did, and soon grew tired, as the game was taking an abnormally long time to load.

After about three minutes, the screen went black. I figured it must have been a sleep timer or something. So I grabbed the remote and tried to turn the television back on. That was when I realised that it wasn't a sleep timer. The TV had completely turned off. The PlayStation was still on, however. I walked towards the TV and pressed a few buttons on its underside. It soon flickered back into life. On the screen now was the Feeco Depot. But not the 2D, low resolution Feeco Depot from 'Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus'. It was the real Feeco Depot.

I understood what was happening now. I slowly placed one hand on the screen. As I suspected, it went right through. In fact, there was no screen anymore. I looked at my hand, which was now on the other side of the bizarre television-portal. But of course, I wasn't looking at my own hand anymore. Well, I was. But it wasn't 'human Alan's hand. It was 'Slig Alan's.

I pulled my hand back from the television, and watched as it transformed immediately back into my human hand. So, now I knew how I was going to get back to Oddworld. I searched around the house quickly. Because I knew that I was going this time, I could prepare. I gathered up a few basic things, such as food and a sleeping bag. If my last visit was anything to go by, I'd be there for a _long_ time. After I'd gotten everything in check, I went back to the TV in the living room. The Feeco Depot was still clearly visible on the other side. I hesitated slightly then. Did I really want to go back to Oddworld? Of course, the answer to that was 'no'. But then again, did I really have a choice?

With my mind made up, I closed my eyes, and placed one arm into the television. A leg followed, then the other arm, and finally the other leg, along with the rest of my body. I opened my eyes again, and looked down at myself. Once again, I was in the body of 'Slig Alan'. Back into the mechanical trousers of Security Commander Grike.

Looking behind me, I saw that the portal had already closed. There was no going back now. I was stuck here once more. So, I took a moment to behold the magnificent surroundings of the Feeco Depot. The hustle and bustle of Glukkons and Vykkers, the gentle steaming of trains rolling into the station, the vibrant colours of the whole building.

"Well," I thought to myself. "Here we go again."


	3. Chapter 3 - Abe and Alan

**Chapter 3 – Alan and Abe**

The station was much more crowded than I'd remembered. Hundreds, if not thousands, of people lined the platforms. Glukkons, Vykkers, Interns, Sligs, even small amounts of Clakkerz and Wolvarks were gathered on the concourse. But for what reason? Well, that wasn't important right now. Right now, I had to find Abe.

Looking around, I soon located a large sign that pointed in the direction of the departures board. I went to it, and saw that both services to Rupture Farms and Soulstorm Mining Co. had been suspended. Obviously, this was the work of Abe, as he'd blown both of these places up not too long ago. I realised then that I had also had a hand in this, as I had saved Abe, from myself, quite recently.

Thinking logically, I decided that my first order of business would be to return to the Slig Barracks. The bunkhouse which I had once called my home was there. I was certain that Abe would make his way to me soon. After all, how was I supposed to find him? Last time, he had literally been dumped at my feet. Now, he could be anywhere this side of Mudos.

A short while later, I had reached the Slig Barracks. I discovered that I still possessed my free pass as a moderately-ranked officer of security around here. The Barracks were exactly as I remembered them. Awful. The dank smell, the dismal colouring. Depressing. But that didn't matter to me right now. I soon found my old bunkhouse, and saw that only one bed inside did not look freshly slept in. It seemed that this one was once mine. So, they hadn't found a replacement for me yet.

I wondered where the other Sligs were right now. Probably out at work. Most Sligs here were security guards, but some were straight up soldiers. Either way, they weren't here. I sat down for a few minutes, then decided to go and look for somebody. I was going to be in deep trouble if I was found off-duty.

The rest of the Barracks seemed as empty as the bunkhouse. A couple of Mudokon slaves scrubbed the floor, but the restricted access areas were, well, restricted to them. I soon found the canteen, and discovered that there were a number of Mudokons working in the kitchen. I decided to ask about Abe. Most of them seemed to have heard of him, but none could put a location to his name. Then, I reached the last Mudokon. He was quite elderly-looking, as well as blind. He sat in a chair at the back of the kitchen. It looked like he had information.

"Hello?" I began, speaking to the blind Mudokon. "Why aren't you working?"

"I'm too old to work." He replied. "I've worked for 73 years."

"73?" I asked. "Shouldn't you have retired by now?" The Mudokon laughed, but he clearly wasn't amused.

"They won't let us retire." He explained. "We're slaves! We work 'till we die."

"Oh." I replied. By the look of it, this Mudokon was pretty close to death. If the Sligs found him not working, they'd kill him. "What's your name, then?"

"Brian," the Mudokon answered. "Not that it matters anymore." I felt sympathy for him, and the others in this kitchen.

I continued to ask Brian what he knew about Abe. He told me that he believed Abe would come for him before his days were done. He believed that Abe would save him and the other kitchen workers before it was too late. Maybe he was right. Maybe Abe would save the others. But I think that by that time, it would already have been too late for him. I counted up the Mudokons in the kitchen. There were eight in all. _I could do it_ , I thought to myself. _I could save them_.

"Ok, listen up!" I shouted, addressing all the Mudokons. "I need all of you to follow me."

"Where are you takin' us?" Brian asked.

"I'm going to set you free." I assured him. "The truth is, Abe may come in time to save most of you. But Brian… I don't think you're going to live much longer. I can at least let you die a free Mudokon." Brian smiled at the thought of this. Now, we had to move. The other seven Mudokons reluctantly followed, along with Brian. I lead them back to the entrance to the Slig Barracks, onto the train to the Feeco Depot. When we arrived, it was much quieter than it had been earlier. Hardly anybody stood on the concourse now. Perhaps it had just been rush-hour.

I ushered the eight Mudokons out of a small door at the very back of the station. It was a fire exit, so it led directly to the outside.

"You're free now." I told the Mudokons. "They won't find you, I promise."

"Thank you, Alan." Brian said, and the other Mudokons nodded in agreement.

"No problem, Brian." I assured him. "Now, the Monsaic lines are… that way." I pointed into the distance, where trees were visible at the edge of the vast desert. The Mudokons slowly began their journey, and Brian smiled back once more, although he couldn't actually see me, of course.

Stepping back inside, I slammed the door shut. I glanced around at the now barren platform. _Not bad, Alan_ , I thought. Now all I had to do was find…

"You're quite the natural," A voice called out from behind. "Not bad for a Slig, anyway." I spun around to see that a Mudokon stood behind me. He stepped closer, out of the shadows. I recognised him at once.

"It was nothing." I said. "I figured you'd do the same."

"You'd figure right, Alan." The Mudokon replied. He chuckled, as did I.

"I always figure right… Abe."

*NOTE – Well, what do you think? The story has well and truly begun, now that Abe and Alan have been united at last! But where will the story go now? Who knows? Who cares? I'm just kidding, I care, as I'm sure many of you do as well. That being said, I hope you'll return soon for the next installment of 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!*


	4. Chapter 4 - Catching Up

**Chapter 4 – Catching Up**

*NOTE – Hello, everybody! I'm TheManFromMudos, and I'm so sorry you've been waiting so long for this installment of 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. I've got a lot going on at the moment, and I'm unbelievably busy. Still, I've managed to find the time to write these two chapters, which I hope you'll find entertaining. Hopefully I'll be able to bring everything under control soon and return to more regular writing. Until then, read on and enjoy. It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus". THANK YOU!*

"So where were you?" I asked Abe, who now stood by the very edge of the platform. He hadn't spoken in a while "When I was saving those Mudokons, Abe? Where were you?" Still the Mudokon looked off into the distance. This was getting us nowhere. I walked over to him, and sat on the ground, with my legs hanging over the edge of the platform. Abe did the same, but remained quiet. A minute or two passed in complete silence.

"You'll have to talk to me eventually, Abe." I began. "So where were you?"

"It's a long story, Alan." He replied. "And now's not the time to tell it."

"So you're just going to leave it like that, are you?" I asked. "You're going to act as if nothing's happened?"

"I'm not being funny Alan, but you saved half a dozen Mudokons. I've saved hundreds." Abe said coolly. "So excuse me for taking some time off!" Then it fell silent again. He had a fair point, and arguing was going to get us nowhere at this point.

After a while, Abe stood up and began to walk down the platform to the station's exit. I got up and followed him. We left the Feeco Depot and stepped out into the vast, empty Mudos desert. Abe looked up into the sky at the huge moon. He held his hand up to the bizarrely-shaped crater on its surface.

"Something's not right, Alan." He said coldly. "Things are changing here."

"Changing?" I asked. "How do you mean?"

"Look at the moon." He said. "Notice anything different about it?" I glanced into the sky and saw that Abe was right. The moon was not the same as it had always been. Indeed, a hand-shaped crater was imprinted on the moon's surface. But it wasn't a Mudokon hand. I looked back to Abe, who had a troubled look in his eye.

"Whose hand is that?" I asked."

"I was hoping you'd know." He replied. "That's why I called you here, Alan. Because that's not all that's changed." He turned towards the huge building that was the Feeco Depot. Staring up at it, he continued.

"Look at the sign." he said. I did, and was shocked to see that the Feeco Depot's logo no longer had a Glukkon's face on it.

"I don't understand, Abe." I told the Mudokon. I genuinely had no idea what was going on. But I was determined to find out. I told Abe that we should get some rest before we decided on a plan of action. He reluctantly agreed that the mystery could wait just one night longer.

The next morning was a hot and dry one. I woke not long after Abe, who was already scratching symbols and writing into the sand. I went over to see what he had done. On the ground before him was a large circle with a hand in it. Obviously, this represented the moon. Beside it was a face, similar to the one on the side of the Feeco Depot. Beneath that were some numbers: 20 01 19 13.

"What are these numbers?" I asked.

"I don't know." Abe replied. "But I've been seeing them everywhere recently. They must be something to do with this whole thing." This made sense, but it didn't really help. We had virtually no information to go by.

"So what do we do?" I asked Abe. "What can we deduce from this information?" It was a foolish question, as Abe clearly had no clue, either. But still, we had to think. And we did. Long and hard, we stood, staring at the symbols in the ground, thinking what they could be. Eventually, I was quite bored, so I sat down and began to draw in the sand myself. I drew the tablet device that I had received back on Earth, not one day ago. I considered how Abe had got such a device in the first place.

"Abe…" I asked. "The tablet you sent to Earth. Tell me more about it."

"Tablet?" He replied, puzzled. "I wasn't aware of any tablet."

"What?" I asked. "Then how did you get me here?"

"I just put a giant banner on the roof of the Feeco Depot. I though you might see it." I almost laughed at this. The notion of Abe that I'd actually see that banner from Earth. Then again, I did manage to see it _because_ of the tablet I'd been sent. I think I'd just found our first clue. The tablet must have been sent by someone, and if that someone wasn't Abe, it must have been someone who needed us together.

"This tablet, Alan…" Abe began. "What did it look like?" I told him that it was sliver and blue with a futuristic pattern, not dissimilar to the pattern I'd drawn in the sand. "Why do you ask?" I inquired afterwards.

"Because I think I know where it may have come from." He grinned. It looked like we were starting to get somewhere.

"Where?" I asked, eager to learn more about the bizarre device.

"You're not going to like this." Abe said, the grin falling from his face. "It's from… Vykkers Labs." Of course it was. Where else? I sighed a heavy sigh as I thought about what lay ahead. The last time I'd had to go to Vykkers Labs, I'd crossed the entire continent of Mudos to do so. Now, it looked like we might have to do the same again.

Looking back down at the sketches in the sand, it occurred to me just how serious Abe was about solving this mystery. He didn't have a clue what was going on, and it was driving him crazy. I had to stay and help. Because, in all honesty, it was driving me crazy, too. So I looked over to Abe and with another deep sigh, I asked: "Which one?"


	5. Chapter 5 - Vykkers Labs Again!

**Chapter 5 – Vykkers Labs Again!**

Lunchtime soon rolled in. We'd sat in the sun all morning discussing what little information we had and seeing what we could salvage from it. Abe had explained that we would be traveling to Vykkers Labs 02, which was actually not far to the south of the Feeco Depot. It was also a stationary research facility, incapable of flight. Which means it would definitely be there. After discussing getting in to the laboratory, and getting back out with the information we needed (all whilst remaining in one piece) we had set off. That was just half an hour ago. Now, we were on our way, both Abe and I walking in almost complete silence towards our new destination.

For hours we walked, seemingly traveling nowhere. The barren landscape of the desert created the illusion that we were simply walking on the spot. Eventually, a structure cam into sight, although this turned out to be nothing but a railway line. We walked straight under it and continued. Conversation was sparse, as we were both too exhausted to speak. Finally, after an entire afternoon of walking, we saw buildings on the horizon. I would have jumped for joy if I wasn't so worn out. There was one consolation, though. It hadn't taken us anywhere near as long as the fortnight's journey to Vykkers Labs 25. I though back to that adventure then. I remembered the sights, the splendor. The people. Fope and Stranger, Dave and me. But I had more pressing matters in mind now than my nostalgia. I put those thoughts to one side as we approached the vast complex that was Vykkers Labs 02.

"Well…" Abe began. "Here we are!" He was clearly excited to get inside, determined to find more clues as to what was causing the odd goings on around him.

"How do you suppose we get in, then?" I asked sarcastically.

"Through the front door, how else?" He replied. "Look, its simple. You pretend to be a security guard-"

"I _am_ a security guard." I told him. He frowned in annoyance.

"Anyway, you walk in and pretend you've just arrested me." He said.

"Won't work." I assured him. "Trust me, we've tried it."

"We? What do you mean 'we'?" Abe asked.

"Me and Dave." I told him. "See, we were in this-"

"Alan!" he snapped. "We don't have time for your anecdotes. Now, if that won't work… we'll just have to use the power of possession." He grinned, and clasped his hands together before his head. He began to chant, and an orb formed in front of him. Suddenly, it dissipated, until there was nothing left.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I almost forgot." He said, looking foolish. "There's nobody here to possess."

We walked around to what would appear to be the front entrance to the laboratory. Conversation could be heard around the corner of the building. Abe didn't need to be told twice. He immediately began to chant once more, and had soon formed an orb, which he proceeded to send towards the source of the conversation. I looked on as Vykker appeared from around the corner of the building. Glowing blue particles buzzed around its head. The Vykker walked towards the door to the building and stepped inside. All fell quiet for a while. I stood there awkwardly as Abe navigated the laboratory through the eyes of the Vykker. I had no idea what was going on, but I could tell by the look on his face that he'd already formed a plan. No sooner than this had happened, gunshots rung out from the building. The particles around Abe's own head vanished.

"Damn." He said angrily

"What happened?" I asked the frustrated Mudokon.

"Well, I _had_ a plan…" He began.

"And?" I inquired.

"And now I have a new one." He said. "Run." He turned and sprinted down the side of the building and around the corner. I followed, and we both jumped into a recess in the wall as a pack of heavily armored Interns jogged past. Now I knew why Abe's plan had failed.

As soon as the Interns were out of sight, Abe and I stepped back out of the shadows and into the sun, which was now beginning to set. Abe chuckled, to which I looked puzzled.

"What's so funny?" I asked him.

"Oh, it's nothing." He replied. "But I've missed this!" He continued to chuckle, but I was even more puzzled.

"Wait a minute… you've missed this?" I asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You know…" Abe began. "This. Us. I've missed our adventures, Alan, I really have." Now the Mudokon was actually starting to scare me. We'd never had any 'adventures'. I'd only met him once before, yet he seemed to remember me even then. I realised then that we had another clue right in front of us, one which had been there since the first time we met. Abe remembered me. He had someone else's memories.

*NOTE – So, what did you think? Who's memories does Abe have? Who's hand is on the Mudokon moon? And where will all these clues lead Abe and Alan. I deeply apologise that these two chapters may seem a little rushed, but as I have already said I am astonishingly busy at the moment. I don't want to stop writing this story completely, but it may be some time before I'm able to update again. Apologies for the wait, but for your patience… THANK YOU!*


	6. Chapter 6 - Memory Lane

**Chapter 6 – Memory Lane**

*NOTE – Hello, everybody! It's me, TheManFromMudos. Here I am again after a break not nearly as long as the previous one. As I said last time, I'm very busy at the minute, but whenever I can find time to write, I will. That being said, here's the next chapter. Read on and enjoy. It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!*

"I don't understand…" Abe repeated yet again. The poor Mudokon was puzzled, confused, angry at the idea that he'd been gallivanting around for Odd knows how long, totally oblivious to the fact that he had someone else's memories. He'd been living someone else's life, and in his own mind, nonetheless.

"Abe, listen to me." I assured him. "I can help you. We'll find out who did this to you."

"How?!" Abe asked, brought almost to tears at the whole situation. "How are we going to do that, Alan?!"

"Well, we're not going to get very far if you carry on like this, are we?" I pushed. "Come on, Abe. You've saved countless Mudokons, faced almost certain death on multiple occasions, and you were actually killed once, by me if you recall." He continued to stare off into the distance, and continued, through gritted teeth.

"You don't understand, Alan. Maybe I did do all of that stuff in the past. Maybe. But I just can't remember. Whoever's done this has invaded the one thing I thought I could never lose: my mind." I couldn't blame him, really I couldn't. This was obviously incredibly distressing for him. But it wasn't helping.

I stepped closer to Abe, placing a hand on his shoulder. He continued to stare silently into the distance. He was on the verge of tears. I knew I had to do something to calm him down. I raised my other hand, unbeknownst to the sobbing Mudokon. Then, I swung around and struck him across the face. He collapsed to the floor. When he got back up, all sorrow had gone from his face, which was now red with anger.

"Sorry." I said apologetically. Although he continued to breathe heavily, Abe appeared to relax.

"It's alright." He eventually replied. "I guess I deserved it. It's just... I'm scared, Alan. Genuinely scared. But you're right. Getting all worked up about it isn't going to help." He sat down in the sand beside me, but his eyes were still fixed on the horizon.

"So what do we do?" He asked.

"How about we start at the beginning." I replied. "Tell me what you _can_ remember. Think back." Abe nodded in agreement. Breathing a heavy sigh, he began to talk…

"It all started about 30 years ago. The-"

"Not that far back!" I interrupted. He apologised before continuing.

"It began when I worked back at Rupture Farms. I started saving Mudokons after I discovered the Glukkons' plans for us. At first, I did it because I didn't want any of the workers, let alone myself, to meet their untimely deaths being minced up into Mudokon Pops. But after a while, I gained a following. I was a hero, and I enjoyed being a hero. I was saving innocent lives, and people thanked me for it. In the end, I blew up the entire factory. After ensuring the workers were all safe, of course. I was proud of myself, and the other Mudokons were proud of me. Then came SoulStorm Brewery. Some others volunteered to help me this time, so a group of us set out to find Necrum Mines. Eventually, we reached the place. I lost the group, and they ended up getting sick. I helped them, and the rest of the Mudokons in the mines and the brewery. Whilst I was at it, I cleared out the Slig Barracks and the Bonewerkz complex. Mudokon after Mudokon I saved, and they were all so happy to be freed from the slavery of the Glukkons. But it still wasn't enough. The Magog Cartel has enslaved so many. And I sought to save them all. To save every Mudokon in Mudos from slavery. But it was an impossible task to accomplish. Alone, that is."

I was still quite clueless as to the situation at hand. Everything Abe had said to this point was common knowledge to me. The events that had happened were supposed to happen. Nothing out of the ordinary. Except for one thing, I thought.

"What about the Feeco Depot, Abe?" I asked the Mudokon, who was still reminiscing.

"That's were we met up, remember? It only happened two days ago." He replied. This really confused me. Where were the other memories? The 'adventures' that we had. I asked Abe about this.

"Don't rush me!" He answered. "I'm just getting to that. Now, where was I? Oh, right. So, two days ago, I met up with you. I was just heading to the Feeco Depot to save the Mudokons there. I discovered you'd already saved a small group from the Slig Barracks. Then, I told you about the strange things that had been going on recently. We started to piece things together, and now we're here. That's all there is to it." I still didn't understand. Abe's story still didn't add up. Everything he had told me so far made sense. Which, oddly, didn't make sense. Somewhere in Abe's story, he'd missed something out. I continued to question him on the subject, but to little avail.

A while passed in complete silence. Well, almost complete. I continued to ask, over and over again: Where did the rest of his memories fit in, canonically? He remembered them, it seemed, but couldn't figure out when they occurred.

"I keep telling you," He replied each time I asked. "I…" Then, something hit him.

"What is it, Abe?" I asked.

"I remember." He said. "Where it all fits in, I remember, Alan."

"What do you remember?" I pressed on.

"I remember meeting you. Quite informally, at first. You shot me." I thought back to that day, when I had held Abe's lifeless body in my arms. But it still didn't make sense.

"What happened then, Abe?" I enquired. "And, more importantly, how do you remember dying?" Surely, when I had traveled through time in the TASM, an alternative timeline was created, thus eliminating Abe's death from ever occurring. Right?

"I remember feeling very cold. Everything around me cascaded. Ended. I disappeared from existence itself. I felt death. The horror of death's icy touch."

"Then what?" I asked, impatiently. "Abe, what happened? Tell me."

The Mudokon sighed, and said quietly: "Then I woke up."

*NOTE – Well, that's the end of that chapter. But in answering one question, many more have been brought about. If you want answers, you'll have to come back for the next installment. Until then, thanks for reading. The next chapter will be up as soon as possible, but it may take some time. So, it's goodbye from me. THANK YOU!*


	7. Chapter 7 - Answering Questions

**Chapter 7 – Answering Questions**

*NOTE – Hello, everybody! I am TheManFromMudos, and we're back once again with another installment of 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. As I mentioned in the previous chapter, I've been very busy lately, but I should be back on schedule soon and posting new chapters every Wednesday, so look out for chapters 8, 9 and 10 in the coming weeks, as well. Thanks again for not being too impatient, folks. Read on and enjoy, it's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!*

"You woke up?" I said again, for the seventh time. "Where? When? I need to know, Abe."

"I was in a wagon of some kind," he explained, "It felt like I'd just awoken from a dream. At the time, I don't think I could remember dying. It was like… like I'd lived an entirely different life. I had memories of the past, but it felt like I'd never actually experienced it. I'm trying to think of a good analogy. It was as if… as if…"

"As if you'd been forced into someone else's body?" I asked.

"Exactly." He replied. I was beginning to catch on now. It seemed that after Abe had died, his conscience, his 'soul' if you will, had been relocated into a different person.

"A wagon, you say, Abe?" I inquired, only just realising what he'd said.

"Yes." He replied simply. "There were a lot of animals in there, Fleeches, Paramites, although they were all a little… different. And the driver of the wagon was a Clakker."

This all seemed quite familiar to me. It was almost as if Abe was describing… Dave.

"This Clakker, Abe," I began, "Was his name Clakk, by any chance?"

"As a matter of fact, I think it was." He replied.

"And your name, it wasn't Abe anymore, was it?" I continued.

"No, it wasn't." He explained. "I seemed to remember the name 'Dave'." Of course. It all made sense. Well, kind of. The premise, that after Abe had died, his mind had been transplanted into Dave's body, was not completely implausible.

"What happened after that?" I pressed. Abe continued to describe the adventures that I had experienced with Dave to the exact detail. The run-in with the Wolvarks, meeting Fope, the trek along the Mongo River. But something was still bugging me. The Mudokon that had been with me at the time was quite simply, Dave. He had an altogether different personality, different characteristics, to Abe. How could Abe's mind have possibly been in Dave's head the whole time? I asked him this, but he could not come up with a reasonable theory, either. We were well and truly stumped.

The day continued to drag on as we pondered over what could have possibly happened to Abe, and Dave for that matter. We'd established that Abe had memories that only Dave could recollect, but what had happened to Dave's conscience whilst Abe was occupying his body? And why Dave's body at all? Why didn't Abe's conscience die with him?

"It's getting late." Abe said after a while. "We'd better find somewhere to spend the night." I agreed, as it had only just occurred to me that we'd spent the whole day stood out in the open outside a massive, high-security laboratory filled with Vykkers. After a short walk in the opposite direction to which we'd come, we discovered a small village. It seemed that it was made up of basic worker's houses, with the odd convenience store dotted here and there. Of course, we wouldn't be spending the night in a four star bed-and-breakfast. A clearing between some rocks would have to do.

As I lay on the ground and looked up at the stars, I felt a sort of excitement. Tomorrow, we'd be breaking into Vykkers Labs. For real this time. We'd finally have the answers we so desperately sought after. I was eager to know what had happened to Abe after I'd shot him, what had happened to Dave when Abe's mind had taken his place. Tomorrow, at long last, we'd know.

The following morning was not the brightest nor the best I'd experienced on Oddworld. Rain drizzled down the rock faces at the sides of the clearing, creating a small puddle where we lay. I woke Abe before the two of us got too soaked, and we set straight off for Vykkers Labs. Luckily, as the laboratory was just at the edge of the desert, the rain wasn't so bad during the walk, and we had more or less dried off by the time we arrived.

"OK, Abe." I said when we were within a hundred feet of the building. "You know what to do, right?" Abe nodded, and moved closer towards the building. A group of Interns stood outside. He hid in a dark recess in the wall of the compound, and began to chant. Even in the pitch darkness of the recess, his face was illuminated by the orb which formed before him. It then drifted towards the closest Intern, and without further ado, he was possessed. That was my cue. I walked up to the group of Interns, who barely even acknowledged me. Being a Slig, I wouldn't draw too much attention. I guess that was an upside to being a sadistic, cold-blooded killer. You got into places.

I nodded to the Intern over which Abe had control. He nodded back, and we both split from the group, heading into the laboratory. The lobby was packed with Vykkers just coming in to work, and other Interns, too. A huge electronic display above the heads of the crowd indicated the different sections of the facility. One sign read 'Animal Testing' whilst another bore the words 'Artificial Diseases'. There were also signs for 'Narcotic Production' and 'Weapons Development'. Finally, my eyes met a sign which said 'Technological Advancements'. This piqued my interest. The image of the silver and blue tablet device appeared in my head once again. That was where our answers would be.

"This way." I told the Intern. He nodded, and we pushed through the crowd towards the Technological Advancements department. We were first met with an incredibly long corridor, followed by a flight of stairs and another corridor. As tiring as this was, we still pressed on, and eventually reached a vast room with a countless number of doors along the walls. The room was more or less empty, but a couple of machines stood in the centre. I stepped towards one machine, and the Intern took up position at another. It was a small pillar, about four feet high, with a large slab of metal on the top. There was a screen set into the metal, along with numerous buttons, displaying every letter of what seemed like every alphabet in existence, and the numbers one to ninety-nine.

I pressed the power button and the screen flickered to life. It displayed a homepage which read: Vykkers Laboratories TA Department Catalogue and the word 'SEARCH' in the text bar. I typed in the word 'tablet' and was presented with a huge list of results. There were countless devices that Vykkers Labs both manufactured and sold. I was going to have to be more specific. I tried 'ultra slim tablet', and was presented with a much shorter list. I cycled through the pages, looking at the attached photographs of each tablet. I remembered distinctly the vivid colouring on the device. Finally, after a brief spell of tablet shopping, I came across it. The exact same tablet which I had been posted not three days earlier. It was listed in the reference index as 8282-9g:7. One of the doors in the room also displayed the number 8282. I knew that this was where the tablet was from.

"Come on, Abe." I said to the Intern, still flicking through search results. He looked up, and followed me to door 8282. It was a pretty standard door, with no special locks or any kind of security, which seemed odd. I placed a hand on the knob and twisted it to one side, pushing the door open. Stepping into the room, I saw that it was more like a long, thin corridor, with the walls completely obscured by lockers. Each locker had a number, starting from the very first one in the room, labeled 8282-1a:1. The lockers stretched up a good ten meters, and there were no ladders to reach the upmost ones. I felt dwarfed by the extensiveness of the room. I looked over at the Intern, who looked similarly in awe.

"Well," I said enthusiastically to the Intern, whom Abe was still controlling from outside the complex. "Let's start looking!"

*NOTE – Well, that's all we have time for in this chapter. Sorry if it may seem a little all over the place. But what happens next? Will Abe and Alan ever find out the truth about the tablet? Will Alan finally figure out why Abe's conscience never died? Will I stop asking all these questions? Find out next time, in 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!*


	8. Chapter 8 - 20I XIX13

**Chapter 8 – 20I XIX13**

*NOTE – Hello, everybody! It's me, TheManFromMudos, and we're back with another installment of 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. There isn't much to say about this chapter, so it'd be best if we just got right down to business. Read on and enjoy, folks. It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!

The search was long and dreary at first. Locker after locker we examined, but to no avail. After a while, we reached locker 8282-12c:26. This was significant as it was the last locker either of us could reach. The others towered above, another twenty rows, at least. Climbing onto the Intern's shoulders, I managed to work all the way up to 8282-4g:18. We were closing in on 8282-9g:7, but our combined height was still too low. An attempt to scale the walls of the room failed, as did standing on the doors of open lockers, the latter of which lead to the collapse of a few shelves. However, after a long struggle, I had managed to find locker 8282-9g:7. I had to throw a destroyed shelf at the locker to knock it down, but it landed safely in my arms shortly after.

"This is the one." I told Abe, and the Intern and I headed back to the directory room. After a short while, I managed to pry the box open. Sure enough, it contained a tablet. It was identical to the one I'd been delivered back on Earth a few days back. I gave the Intern an eager glance, and turned the tablet on. It crackled into life, displaying brightly the Vykkers Labs logo. A Vykker then appeared on the screen, and began to speak in a deep but fast voice.

"Hello, and welcome to the Vykkers Laboratories Device Setup Menu. We are now going to format your 20I XIX13 Electronic Tablet. To calibrate your screen, please touch the Vykkers Labs logo when it appears on the screen…" I obeyed the instructions to complete the calibration, followed by adjusting the brightness and contrast of the screen. There were then more setup steps, before the Vykker narrator prompted the device to restart. It did, and he continued to speak.

"We have now completed the setup of your 20I XIX13. Thank you for your time. The device is now booting up, please wait…" After yet more waiting, it was done. The tablet was on. I located the file menu and searched through it quickly for anything that could shed light on our current situation. I soon discovered a file labeled 'SecCom A.G'. At first it seemed like all the other files, until I realised that it was actually short for 'Security Commander Alan Grike'. That was me. I knew then that this file must contain the answer to everything. This whole mystery, concealed within a basic file folder. I reached out with one finger to tap the icon on the screen. Suddenly, a deafening buzzing sound filled the air.

" _Alert! Alert! An intruder has been discovered outside the base. Lockdown has been initiated. Security officials have been deployed. Nobody may leave until it is declared safe to do so. In the meantime, please remain calm."_

I looked over at where the Intern under Abe's control had stood not a moment before. He had collapsed to the ground. I knew that the 'intruder' outside the base was Abe. I had to do something, and fast. The doors around the room were already being covered by steel shutters. Without further hesitation, I ran out of the room, back along the corridor that I had originally come down. Down the staircase, along another corridor, I soon reached the lobby once again. Numerous Vykkers and Interns stood around talking, their faces stricken with fear. I couldn't understand why such a small intrusion would warrant this kind of lockdown. A pair of armed Sligs stood by the exit to the building. Upon trying to leave, one placed an arm on my shoulder and pulled me back.

"Where do you think you're going, chump?" The Slig remarked. The other simply grunted in agreement.

"Chump?" I replied. "Chump?" I reached into a compartment in my mechanical legs and pulled out my identification card. I flashed the card at the Sligs, who immediately stepped back.  
"S-So sorry, Sir," One Slig gasped. The other grunted apologetically.

"That's right." I said. "Security Commander. Now update me on the situation and open this door."

"Certainly, Sir," the nearest Slig said. "Well, a team has been sent out to investigate reports of a Mudokon lurking outside the base, most likely fugitive Abraham Lure. They have not yet found anything, but assure us that they will continue to search until they bring this intruder to justice. We've been posted to make sure nobody leaves the building until then. Apart from you, of course, Sir." I simply nodded, then ordered the Sligs to open the door and allow me to personally investigate the outside of the base. They did, and both apologised once again for the mix-up.

It was eerily quiet outside the base, probably because everybody was inside apart from the search party looking for Abe. I walked around the perimeter and soon found them. There were no less than ten Sligs, all armed with rifles, huddled around a seemingly ordinary spot on the ground. I stepped closer, and saw that there was actually a cowering Mudokon in the centre of the ring of guards. It was Abe. I stepped in and pushed a guard aside.

"Who's in charge here?" I asked the group sternly.

"I am," Replied a Slig opposite me. "Security Officer Krant."

"Security Commander Grike." I said, whipping out my ID once again. "That's higher, isn't it?"

"Indeed, Sir." Krant remarked. "May I ask why you're here, exactly?"

"I just came to check up on the search for A- the Mudokon, that's all." I assured him. "And by the looks of things, you've found him. It. Anyway, I won't be needing you anymore." I waved a hand in the opposite direction to the group. "Go on." The Sligs seemed reluctant at first, so I pulled out my card once more. They immediately went back to the laboratory, apart from Krant. After I had assured him that I would deal with the Mudokon, though, he too departed. I waited until they were all out of sight before speaking to Abe.

"Well, that took care of them, eh?" I chuckled, but Abe didn't look too pleased. He stood up, an angry look on his face.

"Woah, Abe." I began. "What's up?"

"What's up?" He asked. "They nearly killed me, Alan!"

"OK, calm down." I replied. "It's not my fault, is it?"

"They wouldn't have found me if we hadn't come here in the first place!" He shouted.

"Would you keep it down?" I commanded. "You wanted answers as much as I did, alright?" It occurred to me then that Abe was not the easiest person to get on with. Perhaps he just had a tough outer shell after so much oppression. Anyway, it seemed I had managed to calm him down.

"So, what did you find, anyway?" He asked, pointing to the tablet in my hand.

"Oh, nothing yet." I replied. "I didn't have time, what with… you know what, never mind. I just didn't get the chance."

"Well let's go someplace else before we look closer at it." Abe suggested. I agreed that this was a sensible idea, and with that we set off back to the nearby village.

"Oh, by the way, Abe," I began, "I found those numbers again."

"What numbers?" The Mudokon inquired.

"You know?" I assured him. "Twenty One Nineteen Thirteen."

*NOTE – Well, it's that time again, folks. The end of the chapter. Unfortunately, we've reached the close of this installment. Join us next time, though, for more 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!*


	9. Chapter 9 - Who Were the Romans?

**Chapter 9 – Who Were the Romans?**

*NOTE – Hello, everybody! I am TheManFromMudos, and yes, I'm still here. I'm hugely sorry for the fact that I left you all waiting for so long, the story might as well have been labeled as 'discontinued'. What with Christmas, then moving house, then repeated internet problems, I have been trying very hard recently to get the story up to speed. So, here they are: The next two chapters of 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus.' Read on and enjoy! THANK YOU!*

*FURTHER NOTE – I would also like to clarify that from this point forwards in the story, occasional reference will be given to another science fiction genre. You may have already guessed that this is Doctor Who. There will not be great enough reference that I would consider classifying the story as a crossover, but there is enough that I am required to announce that I do not own Doctor Who, a franchise which is actually the property of the BBC. And I don't own them, either. THANK YOU!*

It was approaching sundown by the time we reached the village. The place was rather empty, apart from the odd Vykker wandering about here and there, which was perfect for Abe and I. We could pretty much go anywhere in the village without notice, although shops and cafés were off limits, of course. We simply couldn't risk being found. After a quick wander around Abe noticed a small park, barely more than a large patch of grass and a couple of benches, one of which we sat down on. I placed the tablet on the bench between us, and for while we simply stared down at it.

"So, these numbers," Abe eventually said, "You say you've seen them again?"

"That's right." I assured him, and turned on the tablet to prove it. The digits appeared on the screen as it booted up: 20I XIX13.

"See?" I said. Abe looked at me blankly, clearly quite puzzled.

"See what?" He asked. "I only see two numbers, Alan." It suddenly occurred to me that Abe couldn't see the significance of the X's and I's because he didn't know what they meant. I then explained to him that the letters were actually Roman numerals, with the letter 'I' representing the number 1 and the 'XIX' representing the number 19. To this, Abe simply asked "Who were the Romans?"

"Look, Abe. I don't want to start a history lesson here." I snapped. "The point is, the Romans used this numbering system, and it's still in common use on Earth today."

Abe then agreed that the numbers were indeed the same that he'd seen time and time again in the past. But what they meant was still a mystery.

After some rummaging, I found the file menu and searched once again for the folder 'SecCom A.G'. This time, I intended to read everything in it. After all, this could finally solve the mystery of why I'd been brought to Oddworld in the first place. Abe and I fell silent in the suspense that followed. The folder, when opened, contained three items. The first was an audio file, followed by a text document, and finally a photograph. All three were labeled 'CLASSIFIED'. Eager to know more, I tapped the audio file. A message popped up asking for a 7-digit password.

"Damn." I cursed. "I should've guessed."

"Alan…" Abe began. "Isn't it obvious?" He reached out with one finger outstretched and typed in the numbers '201 1913'. Of course. The audio file immediately began to play, in no less than eight segmented 'reports'.

" _This is Agent 17, Report: 17oD – Operation was partially successful. I can confirm that the minds of Grike and the human were indeed switched. However, a system failure which occurred during the procedure has complicated the situation. The physical form of Grike remains on Oddworld. If the contractors do indeed find and kill the Slig body, it will be necessary for Grike to be permanently trapped within the human's. Grike's survival and wellbeing must unfortunately come before the human's. Report concludes._

 _This is Agent 17, Report: 17oG- The human-mind has reportedly jumped from great height from a fast-moving train on the Trans Mudos Mainline. According to my sources, he dived from a doorway at the side of the train after two conductors asked him to present his railway ticket. It is currently unknown whether the body is intact or not. However, we have an agent who may be able to help us. A Grubb. Report Concludes._

 _This is Agent 17, Report: 17oH- The Grubb has so far managed to convince the human mind that she will lead him to Vykkers Labs where he will find salvation. It is not currently evident that he suspects our true intentions: To prevent him from returning to Earth prematurely, if indeed at all. The two are currently traveling along the Mongo River, and the human-mind believes that he will reach Vykkers Labs within the week. Report Concludes._

 _This is Agent 17, Report: 17oN- The Grubb has been killed by the human-mind. Officially, left to die by him and his companion. One less job for us to take care of after she went rogue. It was explicitly requested that she keep the Slig body in one piece, not try to kill it. Anyway, the human-mind and his Mudokon accomplice are now close to reaching Vykkers Labs. We will deploy more agents to attempt to stop him. Report Concludes._

 _This is Agent 17, Report: 17oQ- The human-mind Grike has been aided by his future self after his discovery of the TASM. Urgent action must be taken if we are to avoid paradoxical consequences. The higher-ups have enough on their plate, so I'll deal with this one. We need to show the human-mind that he is not untouchable. Without harming Grike's body. Report Concludes._

 _This is Agent 17, Report: 17oT- The Mudokon traveling with the human-mind has been sentenced to death thanks to our Glukkon magistrate. The intention of this action, however, has not been properly realised. The intent was to prevent the human-mind from ever reaching Vykkers Labs. He is now less than two hours away. On foot. There's nothing we can do to stop him now. Unless…Report Concludes._

 _This is Agent 17, Final Report: 17oV- The final plan has failed. None of our efforts to stop the human-mind have given positive results. This entire operation has been a complete shambles. The human will be granted his body back, on Earth, and Grike will be reinstated into his Slig body. With the failure of the operation, I am likely to be executed as a traitor to the cause. I only hope that my successor, whoever that may be, will ensure that neither Grike nor the human ever cause us any trouble again, and that the human NEVER finds out the truth. Agent 17, Final Report Concludes._

 _Agent 17, Termination Notice: 17xX- I, Agent 17, hereby declare of my own free will that upon my death, my place shall be taken by Agent 43, who shall maintain my former duties, conclude my current affairs, and above all ensure that the human designated as Agent E02 is carefully monitored for the rest of his life, lest he discover the truth about himself and Security Commander Grike. I also formally apologise for the failure of the operation, and willingly give my life itself as punishment for my treachery. Official Time of Death: 22:07, the 93_ _rd_ _of Septedecember, 494763. Cause of Death: Gunshot wound to the head. Final Statement before Termination: Goodbye._

The audio file ended there. But what did it mean? Agent 17, Agent 43? Who where these people? And as for the 'operation', it would seem that whoever these agents worked for was responsible for me switching bodies with Grike, at least the first time around. But by the sounds of this, this was a force to reckon with. They had eyes everywhere, they knew everything that I'd been doing during my previous stay on Oddworld. And then there was Fope, and the Wolvarks. Had they also been employed by whoever it was behind all this? And were the people behind it all responsible for Dave's death sentence?

"Alan?" Abe said after a long while. He had a hand on my shoulder, and shook me out of whatever vegetative state I was in.

"What, what happened?" I asked, still in a slight daze.

"You sort of drifted off there." He replied. "Started mumbling, then you dropped the tablet and stared out into nowhere."

"I did?" I asked. It had all come as quite a shock to me. I wasn't too surprised that I'd zoned out at some point.

"Look, Alan…" Abe began, "I looked at the other files while you were… away, so to speak. You might want to look at them."

Heaving in a deep breath, I nodded. Abe held out the tablet to me once again, and this time, I clicked on the text document. As the file loaded itself, I pondered for a moment. " _Maybe this will shed some more light_ " I thought to myself. After a few seconds, the file had opened, and the screen filled with text. The title read:

 **OPERATION TASM: MATTER REDISTRIBUTION**

"Well," I said quietly, and took another deep breath. "Here we go."


	10. Chapter 10 - Operation TASM

**OPERATION TASM: MATTER REDISTRIBUTION**

 **BY ORDER OF THE GALACTIC FEDERATION, THIS DOCUMENT IS TO BE DISTRIBUTED TO THE FOLLOWING PERSONNEL:**

 **COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE GALACTIC FEDERATION**

 **AGENT 17 (CONVICTION DIVISION)**

 **AGENT 29 (CONVICTION DIVISION)**

 **AGENT 43 (CONVICTION DIVISION)**

 **AGENT 08 (TIME ANOMALY REMOVAL DIVISION)**

 **THIS DOCUMENT CONTAINS CLASSIFIED INFORMATION WHICH MAY ONLY BE READ BY THE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF OF THE GALACTIC FEDERATION OR ANY MEMBER OF THE CONVICTION DIVISION WIH A CLEARANCE LEVEL OF 'B' OR HIGHER.**

 **CONTEXT –** Vykkers Labs, a sector of a native conglomerate on the planet Oddworld (Constellation Reference: CanM-04) has recovered a blue box from local space which we believe to be Gallifreyan in origin, a type 40 TARDIS. The Vykkers have named it as the TASM (Time And Space Machine), and are currently conducting experiments using the machine. The Gallifreyan High Council has received word of this, and is poised to sentence a Vykker known as 'The Professor' for intergalactic crimes. However, one of our agents, Agent 29, AKA 'Grike', a Slig, also from Oddworld, who has been traveling with the Professor for reconnaissance purposes, is also on the Council's watchlist. Grike himself has not committed any crime, he has merely observed the actions of the Professor.

 **BRIEF –** Our mission is simple. We need to stop Grike from being sentenced. The easiest way to do this thus far would appear to be matter redistribution. We have selected a candidate from the planet Earth (CR: SolS-03) to be the opposite end of the transmission. Records show no noteworthy impact on the human race. Basically, he's nobody. For a period of approximately 3 months, the human shall switch places with Grike, both mind and body. The two will take each others places whilst the search for Grike is dropped. After this, Grike and the human will allowed to return to their own domains. For security purposes, we've decided not to tell the human about the switch. For this reason, I've detailed Agent 17 to keep the human under wraps during his time on Oddworld, and ensure that security is not breached.

 **DETAILS:**

 **PRE-OP BRIEFING:** 22:00 42ND JANTOBER 494763: Agents 08, 17, 29 and 43 must be present in the Grand Meeting Hall to meet with the C.I.C.

 **OPERATION START:** 19:30 44TH JANTOBER 494763: Agents 17 and 29 are to report to Science Lab 12b. Agent 29 is not to eat for 48 hours before transmission.

 **OPERATION FINISH:** Approx. 00:00 45TH AUGCEMBER 494763: Agent 29 retransmitted to Science Lab 12b. Agent 17 will attend to greet Agent 29.

 **POST-OP DE-BRIEFING:** 22:00 45TH AUGCEMBER 494763: Agents 08, 17, 29 and 43 must be present to discuss operation with the C.I.C in the Grand Meeting Hall.

 **NOTES –** The Gallifreyan High Council have narrowed down their search for Grike to Oddworld's own Solar System, so as long as Grike is not present there, we should be safe. Grike will be transmitted from Science Lab 12b to the human's place of residence, whilst the human will be transmitted to the Feeco Depot, Mudos, Oddworld (CanM-04).

It is important to remember throughout the course of this operation that Grike is innocent, as well as a high-ranking member of the Conviction Division of the Galactic Federation. He will be treated with respect and care during the operation. It is also essential that the human does not go looking for answers once he is on Oddworld. Agent 17 should ensure that this does not happen.

 **THIS REPORT IS TO BE RETAINED FOR REFERENCE AND DESTROYED AFTER THE OPERATION IS COMPLETED, ON OR BEFORE 1** **ST** **NOVUARY 494763.**


	11. Chapter 11 - One Hell of a Jigsaw

**Chapter 11 – One Hell of a Jigsaw**

*NOTE – Attention please, everybody. It's me, TheManFromMudos, and I am excited! For all you avid Oddworld fans out there, you'll know that this is because Oddworld Inhabitants have very recently announced their newest game! 'Oddworld: Soulstorm' is the much darker sequel to 'Oddworld: New 'n' Tasty' and a partial remake of the 1998 classic 'Oddworld: Abe's Exoddus'. I can already feel the suspense building!

Anyway, to celebrate this announcement, I have for you folks, wait for it… Two new chapters of 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus', one new (and incredibly long-awaited) chapter of the mini-series 'Talk Show Glukk', and one new episode of my new spin-off series, 'TASM'. You can find 'TASM' under Games/Oddworld/Crossovers/ Doctor Who. Well, that's all from me, everyone. Read on and enjoy: It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!*

All of a sudden, everything was beginning to fall into place. The TASM, the machine I used to escape Oddworld the first time around, was actually a TARDIS. No wonder the interior had seemed so familiar. Grike, the real Grike, was a secret agent, and he'd been wrongly convicted, so to protect him, his body was switched with mine. Of course, it had failed, hence why I'd spent the last month in a Slig's body. But there were still questions swimming around in my mind. Why had Abe seemingly switched with Dave? Why had I been brought to Oddworld a second time? And who were these elusive agents of the Galactic Federation?

"Well," Abe said, putting down the tablet after he'd read through it. "It's one hell of a jigsaw."

"You said it." I replied, sighing deeply. I sat down on the ground in front of the bench and buried my head in my hands.

"It just doesn't make sense." I remarked. "There's still something missing, even now. This tablet, these files. It's like someone wanted us to find it." Abe looked just as baffled as I felt. He was pacing the ground before me, scratching his head now and again. After a while, he came and sat beside me.

"So," He began. "What's the plan, Alan? We can't just sit around. There's a bigger picture here, and we're missing it."

"I know, I know." I told him. "But it's hard to know what to do next. I mean, it's not like-" I hesitate for a second, and slowly looked around. This was mainly due to the fact that it was now day time. And that meant that the townsfolk were awake. And there were lots of them.

"Abe?" I whispered to the Mudokon beside me.

"Yes?" He replied, through gritted teeth.

"Run." And we did.

Within moments, the entire village seemed to be upon us. Vykkers and Interns alike were coming out of their houses and forming a huge mob behind us. The people from the park were the leaders of the hunt, all of them shouting and pointing towards us. We bolted down streets and dashed round corners, desperately trying to shake the hoard of angry villagers on our tail. Men and women. Children and the elderly. Anyone who could stand on their own two feet. Or three, as the case may be.

For several minutes, Abe and I ran blindly around the village. But we realised that we'd need to get somewhere further away to truly lose the mob. I looked into the rocky hills ahead, and then signaled to Abe to follow. He nodded, and we sprinted off towards the crags. Any attempt at communication was drowned out by the volume of the crowd behind, but over the racket, I did manage to catch a couple of words from Abe. They were, in order: "Run, hills, safe, mob, angry, why?" I just nodded, pretending I'd heard every word.

Eventually, as we were nearing the foothills at the far side of the village, the noise of the mob began to subside. We continued to run on regardless, but as I looked back, I could see that most of the villagers had given up. They'd all turned around to head home, or had collapsed with the fatigue of the chase. Only a few Vykkers and Interns still ran towards us, but when I say ran, I don't mean ran. It was more like they were just staggering in our general direction. I turned my head forwards once again and saw that Abe and I had now arrived at the base of the rocky hills. I stopped, dead in my tracks, and looked on in awe at the sweeping dunes of sand ahead. Huge chunks of stone rose high into the air, each one topped with what looked like grass, although at a great distance.

I continued to gawk at the spectacle before me for quite some time. There was something hauntingly spectacular about this place, I thought to myself. Once again, the beautiful landscape of Oddworld had wowed me. Abe, on the other hand, was lying in the sand, laughing up at the sky.

"Whew!" The cheery Mudokon gasped. "Let's do that again!"

"Let's not." I said abruptly. "Abe, we were almost killed by those people." However, after Abe had grinned inanely for a while, I too began to chuckle. There truly was something about the risk involved that made the kind of stuff we got up to so thrilling.

Getting to his feet, Abe began to think once again. I could tell he was thinking because he started pacing again. He kept muttering to himself now and again, seemingly as frustrated and confused as I was as to this whole situation. I tried to chip in whenever he asked me anything, but I knew just as much, or as little, as he did. After a long while of pacing, he eventually gave up. An eerie silence filled the air as we both stood, looking between each other, the desert, and the rolling hills ahead. A gust of cold, unforgiving wind came from the rocky dunes as we edged towards them. The landscape was so intriguing, yet so inexplicably creepy. Without further ado, Abe decided to step forward.

"So, we going or not?" He asked, then turned around and headed off into the hills.

"We certainly are." I replied, following the determined Mudokon towards the dunes, although, to be perfectly honest, it seemed like a fool's errand. We had no idea of what we needed to find, no clues as to where we needed to go, and no indication as to what to do when we got there. But given a choice between this and the Vykker village, I knew where I'd rather be. And, as it turns out, that was neither.


	12. Chapter 12 - The Road to Nowhere

**Chapter 12 – The Road to Nowhere**

Although at first glance the hills had seemed like a warm, inviting place, they quickly shaped up to be exactly the opposite. Steep, harsh terrain. Cold, threatening winds. The first hour or so of the journey was unbearable. After a while, I began to adjust to the nature of my surroundings, but even then they were highly unpleasant, at best. The sun appeared tiny in the sky, most of it's light blocked out by a thick cloud layer, high above the ground. Nevertheless, it was still quite light, and we could roughly predict the time to within a couple of hours. When it seemed about midday, we stopped for a break.

After looking around for a short while, Abe and I found shelter in a small opening in the face of a vast, rocky cliff. Heading in, I was relieved, to say the least. Warmth suddenly washed over me, and my aching body collapsed, emancipated from the hours of treachery and pain I had just endured. I lay motionless on the floor for several minutes, soaking up the coziness of the cave. Eventually, Abe shook me awake. I got to my feet and looked around to properly take in our shelter. A narrow passage with a low ceiling, cast almost completely into darkness. Yet for our purposes, it was perfect.

"What now?" Abe questioned. He sat at the entrance to the cave, staring out into the bleak and barren hills.

"Well, perhaps food and water for a start." I remarked. Abe gave me a look that said 'you're and idiot', so I gave him one back that said 'I think you'll find you're the idiot'. Then I pointed up to the top of a rocky cliff on a hill opposite us. The cliff itself was not very wide, but it morphed into a steep hill at either side, and the plateau that lay on top of it actually spanned for what looked like miles in both directions.

"Look up there." I said, as Abe followed my outstretched finger towards the cliff. "That's grass, right?" He simply nodded, but still looked confused, so I continued.

"My point is there's plant life here. And if there are plants, there must be water." Abe looked as if he was beginning to understand. "And it seems quite likely that if there's vegetation, as well as water, there'll be animal life up there, too." Now Abe understood. He smiled and nodded to acknowledge this fact. Then he got to his feet and traced the hillside with his finger.

"There." He said, pointing at some point off in the distance. "We should be able to climb up over there." And with that, he was off. I hurried to follow him out into the sandy dunes. I could now see the area he was talking about. Roughly half a mile or so away from where we were, the grass plateau began to sink down towards the sand. Another half a mile and it was practically level with the ground. That was where we'd climb up. It only took a short period of time to reach this location, however it wasn't until we got to it that we realised the scale of our mistake. Although from a distance it appeared as if the hill completely disappeared, the grass cliff top was still several hundred feet above the sandy ground on which we stood.

"You idiot!" Abe retorted as he took in the height of the cliff before us.

"Me?" I returned. "You were the one who said we could climb it, weren't you?"

"Yes, but since when have you taken my word for it?" He had a point there. I should probably have judged the size of the hill myself before we'd even left the cave. But now wasn't the time for putting the blame on each other. We had a hill to climb. Putting my best foot forward (my right, in case you were wondering), I attempted to begin the ascent of the rock face. The first few tries did indeed fail, as the metal legs I'd grown so used to in recent weeks were not designed particularly well for mountaineering. But soon I had successfully begun to scale the cliff, and within minutes, so had Abe.

The wind continued to strike the side of the cliff as we climbed. The bitter cold had no effect on the lower half of my body, but my arms ached with the stress, and Abe looked fit to collapse. I desperately struggled on through the pain, the top of the cliff beginning to come into sight. I encouraged myself, and Abe, to continue by imagining the kind of wonder we would find atop this oddforsaken rock. 'Luscious green grass', I thought to myself, 'with flowers in every colour. Vibrant wildlife, beautiful creatures of unimaginable majesty.' This visualization of perfection seemed to help as we pushed on up the hillside.

After what seemed like hours, the grassy brow of the hill was now close enough to touch. I reached out with one arm and placed it firmly on the grass, hoisting myself up onto the flat surface. I turned to help Abe to his feet before daring to look at the world we had discovered up in the clouds, high above the unforgiving desert. It was everything I had pictured and more. The grass was fresh and cool; the trees were thick and green. The sun which had once been shadowed by cloud was now clear and huge in the sky. All around where we stood, bushes sprouted from the earth, covered with colourful flowers and plump berries. Insects roamed around everywhere; Bolamites and Thudslugs, Stingbees and Zapflies. This sanctuary in the clouds was a literal heaven on Earth. Or Oddworld, in this instance.

"Once again," I said, turning to Abe, who was beaming with delight at the wonder before him, "This place never ceases to amaze me." I ran out towards the trees, soaking up the sunlight as I went. A pure stream of crystal clear water ran through the sparse woodland and out into the meadow. I would have dived right in if I hadn't been wearing so much rustable material, but instead I simply fell to my knees before the ice cold water, and plunged my head deep into it's inviting flow. Abe, meanwhile, was running from bush to bush, picking and tasting every berry he could. Perhaps he hadn't considered the potential for these berries to be poisonous, but then again, perhaps life for a Mudokon was too short to worry about anything like that anyway.

Soon, I pulled my head up from the flowing water of the stream, and regrouped with Abe under the shade of a large tree. He still had his hands filled with berries of absolutely every colour possible, and was stuffing them into his mouth as we talked.

"Ok, Abe." I said, although he was too busy eating to answer. "So we might have discovered what is potentially the most beautiful location in Mudos, if not Oddworld as a whole, but that doesn't mean we're here to stay. We still have a duty to fulfill."

Abe swallowed his mouthful of berries and replied. "Come on, Alan. We're on the road to nowhere right now. We might as well enjoy this while we can." He held out a handful of berries, which, after careful thought, I took.

"You're right, Abe." I said. "Maybe we can take a break from this whole sorry affair, just for one day." And if that was true, perhaps that could have been it, and we could have stayed there for weeks, just enjoying life. Unfortunately, it wasn't true, as we were about to find out.

"Alan…" Abe began, his face suddenly stricken with shock. He pointed over my shoulder, into the woods behind us, so I turned around to look. I was… surprised by what I saw next, for want of a better word. Nestled beneath a bed of soft, warm grass under the shelter of those magnificent trees, was a creature which I'd never even seen before. It was huge, long and thin, but muscular all the same. Several rows of teeth were visible in the creature's mouth, and a line of no less than four eyes ran along it's face. It appeared to be asleep at first, which was good news for us.

"Abe," I began, "Just back away, slowly. Very slowly." The Mudokon obeyed, gently shifting away from the grotesque creature before us. It was all going so well. Then- SNAP! The unmistakable sound of a twig being broken echoed through the air. The creature heard it instantly, it's four huge eyes flung wide open. The ground beneath our feet shook as the giant animal rose from it's slumber. As it began to come towards us, I gave Abe a look of sheer disappointment.

"What?" He said jokingly, despite our current situation. "It was just a twig."


	13. Chapter 13 - Slig, Mudokon & Elum

**Chapter 13 – The Slig, The Mudokon and The Elum**

*NOTE – Hello, everybody. I am TheManFromMudos, and here I am with yet another two chapters of 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus. I'm also pleased to announce that this month (March 2016) has been the best on record for me and my stories, in terms of both views and visitors, with a net figure of over 450 views and 125 visitors! So I'd like to say a huge thank you to everybody who is a regular or new reader of any of my Oddworld FanFictions. That being said, here you go. Two fresh, delicious chapters of 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. You can also visit the crossovers section for the latest episode of my all-new series 'TASM'. Read on and enjoy. THANK YOU!*

The creature was suddenly a furious, raging beast, flaring it's nostrils and growling at us as it came ever closer. I looked to Abe for any suggestions on how to react, but he seemed to have nothing. The creature stretched an arm towards us, which ended in a wide foot with several sharp talons attached to it. We skillfully ducked beneath it's swing, narrowly avoiding it's grasp. Then, I signaled to Abe to run in the opposite direction to the approaching menace. He didn't need to be told twice. We were both of, with great haste, away from the woods behind us.

The edge of the plateau was in plain sight, but I knew we wouldn't make it. The creature was at least twice our speed, mine particularly. But that wouldn't stop us from having a damn good try. I watched Abe dive to the ground and suddenly become a blurred ball of raw Mudokon Pop. He rolled ahead of me at a speed I couldn't comprehend, and neither could the creature relentlessly chasing us. Abe now matched his speed, and would easily make it to the edge of the cliff. But I was falling behind. I felt the breath of the creature right down the nape of my neck. I desperately tried to continue onwards. But my attempts were futile. I felt my mechanical legs suddenly seize up, and found myself falling to the ground with an almighty thud.

I rolled onto my back and gazed up at the creature which now loomed over me. It's mouth was wide open now, and I could quite clearly distinguish five different rows of teeth, every single one yellow and pointed. The jaws were open to a spectacular width, several feet, at least. I braced myself as the head of the beast came crashing down towards me. Then, just as all seemed lost, I found myself being whisked off the ground, straight from below the creature's inevitable bite. I looked around to find myself being dragged with one leg by a charging Elum. The Elum ran at great speed towards the same cliff top which Abe had charged towards. I noticed that Abe was now right at the edge of the cliff, and about to roll straight over.

The next few moments were a blur. I remember that the Elum had stopped abruptly, almost flinging me from the cliff. But my metal foot was held securely in it's mouth. I swung over the edge of the cliff, almost making contact with the rock face below, but instead found myself slamming into the now free-falling Abe. I reached out a hand, and somehow managed to grab him. Then, in a spectacular display of epic proportions, the Elum yanked hard on my leg, flinging the two of us into the air and, seemingly impossibly, onto it's back. With no further hesitation, the Elum bolted away along the cliff top, narrowly avoiding the creature that had been chasing us not 2 minutes ago. On and on the Elum ran, with me and Abe in tow all the while.

After a while, the Elum began to slow. We had traveled for several miles, far away from the creature which had threatened our safety. Eventually, the Elum had to stop to rest, so Abe and I took the liberty of examining our surroundings to find out where we'd ended up. There were four pieces of news here. The good news was that we were well out of range of the plateau which had drawn us in earlier, with it's seemingly perfect environment and organisms. The bad news was that we were still in the great rocky dustbowl of sand dunes that we'd discovered upon escaping the Vykker settlement. The worse news was that we were not alone. And the worst news was that our company was a pack of Scrabs.

Still a safe distance away from the Scrabs, Abe and I began to make plans on maneuvering our way through the herd. I knew from the position of the sun that East was right in their direction, so we'd simply have to go through. The best course of action, it seemed, would be to approach the herd as slowly as possible, and only increase our speed if noticed. This plan in mind, we mounted the Elum, and Abe instructed it to slowly move in the direction of the Scrabs. Although the Elum seemed reluctant to go anywhere near the pack at first, it eventually gave in, and indeed began to gently creep towards the ravenous-looking animals.

The wind was not on our side that day. A breeze began to blow from behind the three of us as the Elum plodded on. This wind would obviously carry our scent right towards the Scrabs, blowing our cover too early. But there was nothing we could do about that. We simply had to hope for the best. Perhaps they wouldn't see us at all. Perhaps we could slip right through the entire herd. However, this was not meant to be. Once we were within 30 feet of the closest Scrab, it reared it's head into the air, sniffing the breeze for the scent of it's next meal. It snapped it's head in our direction, almost as if it could see us, although of course it was actually blind. I tugged on Abe's loincloth gently and whispered: "Now what?"

"Brace yourself." He answered. "Now, we ride."

Within an instant, the Elum went from almost standing to full pace. I held on for dear life as the two-legged horse strode onwards. Every single Scrab was now looking in our direction, and there were hundreds of them. I suddenly saw the hole in our otherwise perfect plan. There was absolutely no way we could safely make it past this many Scrabs, no matter what our speed was. The pack was not particularly dense, but there were enough Scrabs in the immediate vicinity that the Elum, and even myself and Abe, suffered many a scratch as we rode on.

A few moments later, we were nearing the centre of the pack. Against all odds, we had managed to stay alive, all three of us, thus far. But our struggle was far from over. The Elum charged on, it's feet now fighting to find space between the hoards of Scrabs surrounding us. I noticed that here and there, a few fights were breaking out between the Scrabs themselves. These creatures were truly amongst the most volatile in existence. The fights were quite isolated, though, and the primary focus of the group was still on us.

"Abe?" I shouted over the screeching of a thousand hungry Scrabs.

"Yeah, Alan?" He replied, his voice equally strained to compete with the noise.

"Why did we even think this would work?" I asked. And maybe Abe answered me, maybe not. I couldn't tell because all of a sudden, the commotion was drowned out by an even louder noise. This new noise was unfathomably loud, and of a pitch that I probably wouldn't have heard in human form. I looked around in surprise at the sight of the Scrabs suddenly retreating. Every single one of them shrieked and howled in response to the noise, all before the pack scrambled. Here, there and everywhere, members of the herd tried desperately to push past one another, in an attempt to flee the sound.

A few moments later, the sound stopped, as abruptly as it had started. I looked around and saw that there was now not a single Scrab in sight. But there was something else. Several hundred feet from where the Elum stood, with Abe and I still on it's back, was a vehicle of some kind. It was a long, black object with no wheels, almost like a hovering limousine. Stood in front of the vehicle was a figure. From such a distance, I couldn't make out any features, or even tell what species the figure was, but there was definitely someone there. I grabbed Abe by the shoulder and pointed over at the vehicle.

"Abe, look over there." I said, a finger outstretched in the direction of the figure.

"What the heck is that?" The Mudokon asked puzzled.

"I don't know." I told him truthfully. "But I bet that's where that noise came from." The two of us continued to look on as the figure turned and climbed back into the vehicle. It slowly began to lift above the ground, and gradually increase in speed as it moved towards a valley between two large cliffs in the dunes.

"Elum," Abe began, patting the gentle creature on the side. "That way." He pointed towards the cliffs between which the vehicle had disappeared. And with that, the Elum gave chase.


	14. Chapter 14 - A Rock and a Hard Place

**Chapter 14 – A Rock and a Hard Place**

For the third time that day, the Elum showed us what it was capable of. It raced across the desert at phenomenal speed, fixated on the two cliffs ahead all the while. Within just a few short minutes, we were at the foot of the nearest cliff. It towered above us higher than any we'd seen so far, so much so that it almost appeared to be leaning over us. The other cliff was actually a fair distance from the first, and between them was a wide expanse of sand dunes.

"Well," I said to Abe, climbing down from the Elum's back. "It's gone."

"I knew we wouldn't be able to keep up with it." The Mudokon sighed. This made me question why Abe had ever suggested tailing the vehicle in the first place, but under the circumstances I kept this quiet.

"Ok," I began. "Alright, we'll just… carry on through this valley, I guess." I gestured towards the two mighty cliffs and the passage that lay between them.

"You got it." Abe assured me, and then mounted the Elum once again. "Come on, boy." The Elum obeyed, and set off once again, this time at a much more gentle speed.

As we rode on, I noticed that the sun was slowly beginning to set. The huge ball of light weighed heavy in the sky, almost completely obscured by the cliff tops. We would soon have to find somewhere to spend the night. I told Abe this, and he agreed that we should stop as soon as we found a cave to take shelter in. This came sooner than expected, as we quickly discovered that the valley was actually home to a variety of smaller crags, some barely a few metres high. It didn't take us long to locate a small, comfortably warm cave in the ground. Abe went down the hole first, followed by me, but the Elum refused to climb down. It looked like we'd have to take it in turns to keep watch on it through the night. I regretfully agreed to go first, despite the fact that I was so tired I was fit to collapse. With the arrangements noted, Abe jumped down into the cave to sleep, bidding me good night as he went.

Hours passed as the long night dragged on. If the Elum wasn't there to keep me company, I would have surely gone insane. Never before had I felt so totally and utterly alone. It was unnerving, sitting in the sand of the dark, barren valley, no life, no civilization, just the three of us. The Elum occasionally wandered a few metres away from the cave, but I managed to convince him to come back in every instance. As the night dragged on, I began to feel more and more drowsy. I knew that I'd soon have to wake Abe, so that he could take over my shift and I could get some shut-eye. But I could give him another ten minutes. Couldn't I?

I was rudely awoken with a sharp slap to the arm. I opened my eyes and found that it was now the early hours of the morning. My attacker, it turned out, was Abe, and he did not look happy at all.

"Morning, Abe. What's up?" I groaned, stretching my arms out as I got up from the ground.

"What's up?" He replied sternly. "What's up?! Gee, I don't know, Alan. Maybe it's something to do with the fact that our Elum has mysteriously vanished!"

"What?" I asked. Then I looked around and discovered that he was right. The Elum was nowhere to be seen.

"What the hell are you playing at, Alan?" Abe snapped. "You were supposed to wake me at midnight for my shift!"

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." I pleaded. "I just… drifted off."

"Drifted off!" He yelled. "That's not good enough, Alan!" He took a deep breath to calm himself. "You've let our only transport wander off. Now we're stuck between a rock and a hard place, and not for the first time, either." I hated to admit it, but he was right. Once again, we'd screwed up, and found ourselves in a seemingly inescapable situation. Then again, as Abe said, this had happened before. And we'd always got by. Always.

"Let's just calm down." I said, trying to figure out the best course of action.

"Alright." The troubled Mudokon agreed. "I'm sorry, Alan. I know I've been a bit off recently. But it's only because I'm confused, and there's no sign of any of that confusion being relieved anytime soon." Whilst I desperately wished his words to be untrue, he had a point. So far, we'd gotten pretty much nowhere. We still had no idea why I was even here a second time, no idea who was responsible, and most importantly, no idea where we were heading. So I pondered. I thought about the last time I'd been on Oddworld. The people I'd met, the things I'd done.

I remembered meeting Fope. She was a Grubb, one who at first seemed to be on my side. I later discovered that she wanted to kill me. Just two days ago, I found out that she

worked for the Galactic Federation. Then I met Stranger. How could I be sure that he didn't work for them too? I was pretty certain Dave didn't. But they… they killed him just to get to me. As part of their plan to stop me from reaching Vykkers Lab 25. But why? Nothing made sense anymore. Then suddenly, I pieced it all together.

"That's it, Abe!" I shouted gleefully. "I know what to do!"

"Well, what is it?" He asked, an eager expression on his face. "What do we do?"

"We go that way." I said, pointing in the direction in which we had already been heading, which seemed rather obvious. "On foot."

"I could have made that suggestion, Alan." Abe sighed. "What's your point?"

Looking into the Mudokon's confused and concerned eyes, I continued.

"Listen, Abe." I said. "Ever since I first arrived on Oddworld, people have been trying to stop me. Some people were trying to stop me doing things. Some were trying to stop me from going places." I thought back to all of the Agents that the Galactic Federation had deployed to try and stop me from getting to Vykkers Labs 25. "But this time, it's different. Nobody's trying to stop me from going anywhere. In fact, I think someone is trying to help us." Abe looked even more confused now.

"Oh, come on. Think about it." I assured him. "Why did a tablet turn up in my mail last week that somehow brought me back to Oddworld? Why did we just happen to find the exact tablet that contained information on me in Vykkers Labs? And just yesterday, why did the Scrabs suddenly run away and leave us alone? Because somebody is trying to guide us somewhere, Abe. It's the only explanation." Abe furrowed his brow in contemplation. After a few moments, his face fell at the realisation. It was true. It was all true. Somebody was leading us somewhere, keeping us out of trouble. And whatever the reason for that was, there was only one way to find out who.

"That person helped us yesterday, Abe." I explained. "And by driving away from us, believe it or not, they helped us even more. This is the way to go to find the truth. I'm sure of it."

"So, on foot then?" He asked, looking up from the ground with a slight smile on his face.

"On foot." I nodded. And with that, the two of us set off, embarking upon the next great stage of our journey for the truth.


	15. Chapter 15 - Kinda Like Vegas

**Chapter 15 – Kinda Like Vegas**

*NOTE – Hello, everybody. It's me, TheManFromMudos, and I'm back once again (Sorry for the wait. Again.) Anyway, I'm pleased to announce that at last we've reached... you guessed it, the middle of the story! Whilst this is quite a milestone, the story's far from over yet. So, as usual, sit back and relax for the latest two chapters. There'll also be a new chapter of the miniseries 'TASM' coming soon. So read on and enjoy. It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!*

We walked for another hour, at least. The wide valley we were situated in began to close up as we walked on, and eventually it was less than ten metres in width. The sand beneath our feet was also starting to subside, being replaced by a smooth rock bed, which seemed to be slanting uphill. As we walked on, the gradient of the incline began to increase, and the surface became slippery. I could now see the end of our trail. No less than 30 yards ahead of us, the two cliff faces converged, and the ground was barely a few feet from the top. I stopped and put a hand on Abe's shoulder to get him to do the same.

"What's up?" He said as I pulled him back for a moment. I pointed to where the two cliffs met. Right at the very centre point of the convergence was a large, round opening. It appeared sealed with a latticed steel hatch, and through the gaps gushed a brown, sludge-like substance.

"What's that up ahead?" I asked, still gesturing towards the enormous metal protrusion.

"You're not gonna like this, Alan." Abe sighed. "But I think it's a sewage outflow." I felt nauseous as soon as he'd said it. Did that mean that the slippery rocks beneath us were covered in… It didn't bear thinking about.

"Where's our help now then, huh?" Abe asked. "Where's this mysterious 'guide' who's gonna show us the way?" I fell silent at the realisation. That I could have gotten it all wrong. Nobody was trying to help us. And now we were at a dead end. Unless…

"This _is_ the way." I answered confidently. Abe shook his head in protest.

"No. No, n-n-n-no! Not a chance." He said bluntly.

"Think about it, Abe." I assured him. "Sewage means people. People mean civilization!" I almost jumped for joy as I started off up the trail towards the pipe.  
"But surely there's another way in, right?" Abe asked, examining the tops of the cliffs. "Look up there." He said, pointing to a small, climbable section of rock. "We could easily scale that." But I'd already reached the outflow pipe.

Small pools of rancid water surrounded the pipe opening. The smell was quite unbearable, but I knew that it was our best option. Plus, I did work at Rupture Farms once, albeit not for very long, so I was used to this kind of stench. I reached out an arm to see if I could squeeze through a gap in the lattice. Luckily, I could. As I pushed one arm through the gap in the metalwork, I heard an audible rumbling sound. Like a ball rolling around in a maze. Or-

"Alan!" Abe shouted, diving towards me and pushing me away from the pipe. Just as we landed safely, the entrance to the pipe almost burst open as millions of litres of raw sewage forced it's way out into the valley below. I got to my feet, after narrowly avoiding being swept away by the tide of filth. I turned to Abe, who had also just missed a thorough soaking.

"So… This cliff then?" I asked.

The rock wall, as it turned out, was a little higher than we'd expected. But the climbing was pretty easy. After a few small movements I decided to risk a couple of larger jumps, but it didn't speed me up as much as I'd hoped. Abe still lagged behind, although he was quite the climber, it seemed. Once I reached the top, I looked over the other side to see what sort of place we'd stumbled upon. I was amazed. The sight was not disappointing. Yes, it was civilization we'd discovered. But it was more than that. It was… a city. Street after street of vibrantly coloured buildings, row upon row of variously sized blocks of flats. And then there were the people. Vykkers, Glukkons, Interns, Sligs, Clakkerz, Wolvarks. Even the odd Mudokon. The place was teeming with life of every species.

"Abe, get up here!" I shouted over the other side of the cliff. I could now see the exact opposite of the city. The barren, lifeless valley which we'd journeyed across. I didn't relish the thought of being back down there. Anyway, Abe soon clawed his way up onto the apex of the cliff, and I rushed to show him the fantastic new landscape.

"Look at it, Abe!" I laughed. "People! Buildings!"

"Mudos." Abe answered simply. I gave him a puzzled look. "This, Alan, is Mudos. The largest city in the entire continent of Mudos."

"They named the city after the continent it's in?" I asked.  
"Nope," was Abe's reply. "The city's so huge, they named the continent after _it._ "

I gasped. Could it be true? Was this city really so enormous? Clearly he knew I was thinking this, as the Mudokon gave me a toothy grin and nodded.

"Well let's get down there, then!" I chuckled, struggling to control my enthusiasm. This place was truly amazing. Vast. Diverse. Perfect. I looked out over the city once again. Then I began to notice things which I'd not seen before. For a start, there were barely any office buildings, places of business, or anything of that sort. Almost none, as far as the eye could see. Secondly, most of the buildings were not flats, nor were they shops. In fact, they seemed to be hotels and casinos. And furthermore, the entire place seemed to be built outwards from a single, ridiculously long road, right through the centre of the surrounding buildings. Then it clicked in my head.

It was Las Vegas. The city of Mudos was the Oddworldian equivalent of Las Vegas. The infrastructure, the buildings. It was almost like someone had completely uprooted the city from the Mojave Desert and dropped it here before my eyes. I looked around to find that Abe was now quite a way ahead of me on his way down the hill. I shouted for him to wait up, and then ran to catch up to him.

"Abe," I asked as I approached the waiting Mudokon. "This is a gambling city, am I right?"

"Sure is." He replied. "This is the place where any old Mud can turn one Moolah into a million. If he's skilled enough. Unfortunately, we don't even have that much."

"Oh, I wouldn't be too sure of that," I smiled, producing a soggy, slightly tattered 1 Moolah bill from the inside sleeve of my left leg.

"Money?" Abe asked. "But how? I- Oh. You didn't, did you?"

"Yes, Abe." I nodded. "From the sewage outflow pipe. It was floating on top of a puddle." Abe seemed disgusted at first, but then he smiled.

"Well then, Alan." He said slowly. "Shall we go make some more?"


	16. Chapter 16 - Suits Out

**Chapter 16 – Suits Out**

After a short walk down the hillside we finally arrived on the streets of Mudos. From down here, everything seemed larger than life. The streets were wide enough for four cars on each side, the pavements themselves were several feet in width, and the buildings towered above the ground ominously, almost leaning over us. The entire place was bustling with rich, flashy Glukkons and proud, wealthy Vykkers. Slightly less wealthy but equally arrogant Sligs and Interns also wandered around. Here and there, a well-off Mudokon would stumble past too, but it didn't end there. Clakkerz. Wolvarks. Even some of the less seen creatures, such as Chroniclers and Oktigi, all roamed the busy streets of the city. I almost lost Abe in the crowd on several occasions, but I managed to find him again every time.

Soon, we found a particularly old and rather unpleasant looking casino labeled the 'Mudos Regal Star'. It was worn-down, unkempt, and generally dilapidated. Abe reckoned it would be the perfect place for people with our current balance of Moolah, so we went in. The inside was even worse. Broken fruit machines, flickering lights, and visible damp on every wall. In one pokey little corner, near a toilet door by the unattended bar, was a small, round table. Sat at the table was a Slig, wearing a sharp black suit, and a Wolvark, wearing a similarly crisp blue suit. Neither Abe nor myself had a suit, but that didn't matter. We could easily get some money out of these guys, I thought to myself.

"Looking for some action, fellas?" The Slig said, running his fingers through a deck of cards. I didn't answer, but instead went and sat down silently at the table. Abe took a seat next to me. "Sorry, three players only." The Slig insisted. "We're playing Suits Out."

"Suits Out?" I whispered to Abe. "What's that?" He got up and went through the toilet door next to us. I excused myself for a moment and followed him.  
"Ok, here's the thing." I said as soon as I'd closed the door behind me. "I've never heard of that game before. Do you even have 52-card decks here?"

"52?" Abe replied. "There are only 28 cards in a deck. 12 ranks and 16 numbers."

"Come again?" I asked, still as puzzled as I was before. "Explain the whole thing to me, slowly."

"Ok." Abe began. "Here goes. In a deck of cards, you have three suits: Blue, red and green. Each suit contains four ranks: Queen, Soldier, Scavenger and Drone, in descending order. That's twelve cards total. Then you have sixteen numbered cards. These go from zero to fifteen, and don't belong to any suit. Got it?"

"I think so." I replied. "Twelve ranks, sixteen numbers. But how do I play Suits Out?"

"I was just getting to that." He assured me. "The game is played in two stages. The first stage involves getting rid of all of the ranked cards in the game, hence 'Suits Out'. Each player takes a card from the pile. If you get a numbered card, keep taking more and more cards until you get a ranked one. Now, everybody announces their ranked card. If yours is the highest, you discard it and take another card, of any type, from the pile. If yours isn't the highest, you have to keep taking cards until you get another ranked one. Play continues like this until all of the ranked cards have been removed from the pile. The sixteen numbered cards should now all be held by the three players. Yes?"

"Got it." I assured him. "Is that all?"

"Not quite." He explained. "Now for the second stage. The player with the least numbered cards announces the total value of their numbers. If no other player's total is lower than this, the player discards all but their highest numbered card, and the other players must discard only their lowest numbered card. There should now be one player with a single card left. Whichever other player's total card value is closest to this may discard all but their highest numbered card. If the final player's total card value is lower than the other two combined, he wins. If not, the player with the lowest numbered card wins. And that's all there is to it."

"Ok." I said. "I think I understand. What I don't understand is why you can't just play it." I pushed open the door behind me and went back out to the bar area. I sat back down at the table with the Slig and the Wolvark sat at it, and the Slig shuffled the 28-card deck, placing it face down in the centre of the table.

"Ok, let's start small, shall we?" The Wolvark said. "I'll put in 2 Moolah."  
"I'll bet 2, as well." The Slig said. The two of them then produced their money and placed it on the table.

"I'm afraid I can only go as far as 1." I said, pulling out my own tattered bill. They seemed reluctant at first, but accepted my bet. And with that, the game began.

I reached out into the pile and drew a card. A red soldier. Not bad, I thought. The other two drew their cards. Unfortunately, whilst the Wolvark had only managed a green drone in three consecutive draws, the Slig had a red queen. He placed it out of the game and drew another, as did the Wolvark and I. A six, then a blue scavenger. The others drew their cards. Amazingly, I'd bagged this one, so I only had to pick up one card. A four. I was already starting to get the hang of this game. It was great!

After several more turns had passed, the last ranked card, a green drone, was discarded. Now, we were all left with nothing but numbers. I had in my possession six cards: a 2,3,4,6,11 and 12. The Slig, however, had the lowest number, with just four cards. He announced that the total value of his cards was 24. Mine was 38. The Wolvark was way out, with 58. So the Slig put down all except his highest numbered card, which he then revealed to be 13. My total was closest to this, so I was also allowed to discard all but my highest numbered card. This was it. I'd won! My only remaining card now was a 12. I'd beaten him by 1! 5 Moolah, I'd just won. 5!

I jumped out of my seat and punched the air above me. "YES!" I yelled. I couldn't believe it. My first ever game of Suits Out and I'd won it. I looked down at the 5 Moolah that lay on the table below me. I sat back down in my chair, and thought to myself. How much more could I win? How much Moolah could I make playing this game. I didn't know for sure, but I wanted to find out.

"Alan," Abe whispered to me from the table behind, seeing the look in my eye. I turned to see what he wanted. "Just be careful, alright? I don't want you to make some real money and then lose it."

"Relax, Abe." I assured the worrying Mudokon. "I'm a natural at this!" Then I turned back around to face my fellow gamblers.

"Ok, guys," I said cheerfully, putting all of my earnings back down on the table in front of me. "Shall we raise the stakes a little?"


	17. Chapter 17 - More Than You Can Chew

**Chapter 17 – More Than You Can Chew**

*NOTE – Hello, everybody. It's me, TheManFromMudos, and I'm back again. This time, since my exams are approaching fast, I have to tell you that unfortunately I won't be able to upload for a few weeks. So, to compensate, I've decided to give you not two, but four new chapters of 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. And here we have it. The next four chapters in the long and arduous journey of Alan Grike. So read on, and by all means, enjoy. It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!*

*ALSO - A big thank you to Sapphire2021 for pointing out the mistake I made in Chapter 15, regarding Alan's ability to smell. If you look there now, you'll find that this has been corrected. Thanks, Sapphire2021.*

"Eleven!" I shouted gleefully. "Looks like we have a winner." I reached out and picked up the forty-five Moolah that now sat on the table before me. This was the ninth game we'd played, and I hadn't lost yet. I was really on fire!

"Who wants to go again, fellas?" I asked, placing a crisp twenty Moolah bill down on the table. "Or are you afraid you might lose it all?" I was determined to keep my streak going now. Abe kept urging me to take my winnings and leave. After all, we didn't come here to gamble. But there was something about this game, the simplicity of winning. It felt good to think that I'd started with just 1 Moolah, and now I'd quadraginquintupled it. Basically, I had forty-five times what I'd started with. And I wasn't going to stop there.

Looking around the table, I saw that the Slig and the Wolvark had drawn their first cards. I picked up mine. A blue drone. 'Oh, well', I thought to myself. 'Not a great start, but I'll manage.' The Slig then revealed he was in possession of a green soldier, and placed it out of the game. The Wolvark and I then picked up some more cards. First, I drew a fifteen, followed by a thirteen, an eight, a nine, and finally, a… green drone.

"Oh, dear." I muttered quietly. It looked like my streak had been broken.

The game drew on, and I continued to pull astonishingly high cards. The lowest I'd managed in the whole game was the eight. By the time we were done, I held seven cards. Seven! The Wolvark had only three, and the Slig six. Mine, though, gave by far the highest total value. 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15… that was 80, altogether. I was in trouble, now. The Wolvark announced his total as twenty-two. Well, that was me out. The Slig's cards totaled twenty-one, so he put down all except his highest, which was a seven. Lucky son of a –

"Well, well, well." The Slig said, as the Wolvark placed down all but his twelve. " _Looks like we have a winner._ " He glared at me, and chuckled, pulling the pool of money away from the centre of the table.

"Come on Alan." Abe said over my shoulder. "That's enough now, yeah?"

"Hold on a second, Abe." I said back. "I've still got twenty-five Moolah left."

"Alan…" Abe replied hesitantly. "I think you have a gambling problem."

"What? Nonsense!" I assured the worried Mudokon. "Look, I can handle this. This game was made for me!" And with that, I turned around and made perhaps my biggest mistake yet. I placed all twenty-five Moolah of the money I had left on the table.

"All or nothing, guys." I beamed, ignoring Abe's concerns about me blowing all of our money.

"You're on." The other Slig grinned, placing a whopping thirty-one Moolah on the table. The Wolvark agreed as well, and pulled out twenty-seven Moolah. There was now a grand total of seventy-three Moolah up for grabs. All I had to do was win this game.

Reaching out to the deck in front of me, I pulled out my first card. A nine. I pulled again. A four. Then again. A green soldier. What a relief. The Wolvark then picked up, just the one card. The Slig picked up two. I placed my soldier down, topping the red scavenger and blue drone announced by the other two. It seemed I was off to a good start. How wrong I was. I reached out and picked up… a fifteen. Two games in a row, a fifteen? Unbelievable. The others picked up, and the Wolvark revealed a blue soldier. He placed it down, and we all drew again. 'Please be a suit', I thought as I picked the topmost card from the pile, 'Don't be a number'. It was a number. In fact, it was a twelve. Great.

Once again, we continued to draw and discard suit after suit, until our hands consisted of numbers alone. I was now in possession of just five cards, which beat the Slig's six, but was tied with the Wolvarks' five. Abe hadn't told me what to do if this happened. However, I realised that it didn't really matter, so long as we didn't have the same total. We didn't. Mine was 46, whilst his was just 30. Wonderful. He placed down all except his thirteen. The Slig, who had managed forty-four, put down all but his fourteen. This left me to put down my two lowest, the four and the six. I now had thirty-six left. So I'd lost. All of my money. #$%&!

"I'm so sorry, Abe." I said, as the two of us walked out of the building. "I should have listened to you. Now we've got nothing."

"I tried to warn you, Alan." He replied. "But you wouldn't listen, would you?" I hated to admit it, but the Mudokon was right. I had gone overboard. I'd blown everything we had. Now we couldn't get anything to eat, we couldn't get a cab or a bus (or whatever the equivalent was here). Suits Out truly was a cruel and unforgiving mistress of a card game.

Going out into the streets, we saw that the sunset was just beginning to take hold of the city. And it looked even more wonderful like this. Bright lights everywhere, and in fantastic colours. The last amber streaks of the burning sun were cast right down the long, straight roads that ran across the whole place. I gazed in awe now at the splendor of this urban jungle. It was still busy, but not as busy as it had been earlier. That was because most of the richest individuals would be relaxing in the finest hotels in the city right now. And the ones that weren't relaxing would be playing in only the most high-brow of casinos. Abe and I, on the other hand, could afford neither of these things. So we went for a stroll, instead.

"So, Alan," Abe said as we walked. "Now that you've completed eradicated our funds, what's the plan? To just wander around here until we miraculously stumble upon some information?"

"Um… pretty much." I answered. "Although…" I put a hand out to stop Abe, and then pointed down the road. "I think we may have stumbled upon it already." There in front of us, parked outside a very classy-looking casino, was a long, black vehicle with no wheels.

"That's it, Abe." I whispered, as if people might be listening in. "That's the same car that scared away those Scrabs in the desert." Abe nodded in agreement. As we looked on, a figure came out of the casino, escorted by a valet, who helped him into his vehicle. The figure was cloaked completely in a black robe, so the species was still unknown, but I did see two distinct legs, which ruled out a Glukkon or a Vykker.

"So is that the person we saw?" Abe asked.

"It must be." I answered. The vehicle suddenly began to drive away, slowly at first.

"Well, should we follow it?" Abe continued.

"That seems like a good plan." I assured him. And without further ado, we set off at a brisk pace, in an attempt to catch up with the person in the car. But as we approached the vehicle, it began to pick up speed, and then disappeared around a corner.

"Well, Abe." I sighed as we reached the corner, looking down the long road which the car was now speeding along. "This is going to be harder than we thought."


	18. Chapter 18 - The Great Mudos Maze

**Chapter 18 – The Great Mudos Maze**

The car was now moving at quite a clip. We wouldn't have much chance of catching up with it. But it was the only way we were going to get answers. I set off at a run, as did Abe, as we wove our way through the thinning crowds that still plagued the streets even at this hour. The car was still in sight, but getting further and further from our reach. Then, a stroke of luck hit us when the car had to stop at some traffic lights. This was our chance. I pushed forwards down the road, forcing my mechanical legs to operate at their full capacity. Abe sprinted as fast as he possibly could as well. We were almost at the lights.

"Come on, Abe!" I shouted over the hustle and bustle of the crowd. I looked on in disappointment as the lights went from red to amber. Luckily, people were still crossing the road in front of the car. 'That could by us a few more seconds', I thought. It did, but a few more would have helped. When we were barely twenty yards away from the vehicle, the lights went green, and it sped off down the road. I was ready to call it quits. But Abe wasn't giving up just yet. He continued to bolt down the pavement at an amazing pace, so I carried on running to keep up with him. The car was still in our sights.

"Look!" Abe yelled back to me, as he was several metres ahead. "It's stopping again!" I looked past him and saw that he was right. The limousine had pulled up outside a building. The valet went around to the passenger side and opened the door, allowing the mysterious character to step out. We were so close. Abe was almost there. But my legs could take it no more. With no warning whatsoever, they suddenly jammed, and I collapsed to the ground with a great thud. Abe stopped, and turned to come back to me. Helping me to my feet, he pointed towards the car, which was still parked outside the building. It appeared to be a bakery, although what a shop of that variety was doing in a place like this, I had no idea.

"That guy's still in there." He smiled, and we continued towards the shop at a much more comfortable speed.

"Ok, Abe." I said as we approached the bakery. "When we go in there, we need to act natural. We don't want him to know we're following him. Not until the time's right." Abe agreed, and we both walked into the building as calmly and as quietly as possible. There were a few Sligs and Clakkers queued up at the counter, each ordering a different bread or pastry as they went along. At the rear of the queue, or very near it, was our guy. The same person draped in black, no distinguishable features that we could make out from behind. A few people stood in the queue behind the figure, so Abe and I joined the back of the line.

A few minutes passed, then, with the queue growing smaller in front of us. I watched customers walking out of the shop with bizarrely coloured loaves of bread and oddly shaped deserts. One even had what appeared to be a gingerbread Slig, presumably for a young son or daughter. As the line continued to shrink, the hooded figure reached the counter. The order he placed was inaudible, and after a few moments, he was handed a wrapped package by the cashier. He turned, without paying, to leave. I signaled to Abe to get ready, and then went and tapped the mystery man on the back of his arm

"Excuse me, sir?" I asked, and then placed my hand down on his shoulder, attempting to turn him around. But it was hopeless. He ragged himself free of my grip and ran out of the bakery. I looked around for Abe, before noticing him stood in front of the vehicle, ready to stop any attempt of escape. Once the cloaked figure saw him, he turned and ran in the opposite direction.

"You're not getting away that easily." I muttered, and gestured to Abe to give chase. I ran out of the shop as quickly as possible and the two of us tailed the fleeing person. He ran left, he ran right, down alleyways and passages. But this time, we had him. Both Abe and I were quite capable of keeping up with this guy on foot.

After several minutes of chasing the figure around the back alleys and side streets of this great maze that was Mudos, we finally got him into a dead-ended passage. He attempted to scale the fence at the far side, but to no avail. Abe and I slowly closed in. Suddenly, the odd character bolted forwards, obviously in some desperate final attempt to push between us. It didn't work. Abe held out an arm and the guy ran straight into it, slumping to the ground.

"Oh, for Odd's sake, Abe!" I shouted, seeing that Abe had knocked the mysterious figure clean out. "Now we'll have to wait for him to wake up." Abe gave me an apologetic look, and picked the person of the ground, leaning him against the wall of an adjacent building.

"How long do you think it'll take him to come around?" I asked, kneeling down before the still hooded figure.

"Not a clue." Abe replied. "A few minutes?" This seemed a reasonable amount of time to wait. It would give us time to catch our breaths before interrogating him. I reached out with one arm towards the man's hood. I was determined to at least know what species he was. Pulling the cloak back over the head, I saw something quite astonishing. First of all, this guy we'd been chasing around the city was actually a woman. But more importantly, this mysterious creature, whose species had up until now been a mystery, was… was…

A human.


	19. Chapter 19 - The Federation Woman

**Chapter 19 – The Federation Woman**

"What on Oddworld is that thing?" Abe asked. "Disgusting looking creature."

"Excuse me!" I snapped. "That's a human, Abe. And quite frankly I'm offended."

"Oh." Abe exclaimed. "Sorry, Alan." He looked at the floor, a smirk on his face. I laughed a little as well, but soon snapped out of it.

"Yeah, it's definitely a human." I continued. The woman appeared to be in her late thirties, and had very pale skin. It wasn't what I was expecting to find, I'll be honest. Suddenly, her eyes flickered. She was beginning to wake up. I knelt beside her and watched as she slowly opened her eyes.

"What happened?" She said, slowly. "My head hurts."

"Sorry about that." Abe said. "Couldn't let you escape though, could I?"

"Who are you?" I asked, helping the woman to her feet. "Are you from the Galactic Federation, by any chance?"

"As a matter of fact, I am." She replied. "Although I'm in no position to disclose any further information to you, other than my name and number, without special orders"

"Well, what's your name and number?" I asked.

"My name is Jangum, Agent 08." She said. "And you're Grike, Agent 29, correct?"

"It appears I am." I told her. "Agent 08? Is that the Time Anomaly Removal Division?"

"Yes, that's right." She nodded.

Suddenly, Abe let out a loud cough, clearly to remind us that he was still here. I turned to him and introduced him to Jangum. However, she said she was already fully aware of the situation, and she had actually been monitoring us for a while, which came as no surprise.

"So, Jangum." I asked. "You were a part of Operation: TASM, were you not?"

"Yes, indeed I was." She replied. "I presume you know of Agent 17's fate?" I remembered listening to the audio logs on the tablet. Agent 17 had been ordered to give his own life after the mission failed. I simply nodded.

"It's barbaric, don't you think?" Jangum continued. "Agent 43 was detailed with clearing up the whole situation, which gave us the perfect opportunity." I was quite confused by this.

"Opportunity?" I asked. "For what?"

"Well," Jangum replied. "I can discuss it with you, but first I need to verify your identity. Ask you some questions only the real Agent 29 would know." I gulped, and glanced over at Abe, who shrugged. How could I answer these questions if I wasn't the real Agent 29?

"First question." She asked. "On what exact date did Grike join the Galactic Federation?"

"Um…" I hesitated, then guessed. "The 8th… of Novuary… 49…46…48?"

"Ok," Jangum said, moving swiftly on. "Second question. How many first class off-world postage stamps does Grike have in his collection?"

"706." I said quickly, not giving it any thought whatsoever. Jangum sighed and shook her head.

"Last question." She said. "Grike's full name is…"

"Is it… unknown?" I asked. I saw Abe in the corner of my eye, burying his face in his hands. I think it was safe to say that I hadn't answered a single question correctly.

"Well, then." Jangum said. "After listening to your awfully incorrect responses to those questions, I'm going to assume that you are not in fact Agent 29." I sighed and nodded. There went my hopes of getting any closer to the truth.

"Now," Jangum continued. "Let's find somewhere else to talk, and I'll tell you everything." Ok, now I was really confused. If she knew I wasn't Grike, why was she going to tell me everything? I simply agreed, and then Jangum led Abe and I out of the alleyway and back to the bakery.

When we reached the bakery, we found that Jangum's car was still parked outside, hovering about a foot above the ground. She opened a door and invited us to step in, so we did. Inside, the car was wonderfully furnished with blue velvet. The windows were darkly tinted so that nobody could see in, but the interior was wonderfully lit with gentle blue lights, making up for the lack of light from outside. As I climbed in and sat next to Abe at one side of the car, Jangum shut the door and sat on the opposite side. She turned to the front dividing wall that separated the passengers from the driver, and reached through a small hole with one hand, tapping the shoulder of the valet. He awoke with a start and began to drive almost instantly.

"Now then," Jangum said. "I had to ask you those questions back in the alleyway for a reason. I had to know that you weren't Agent 29."

"Why?" I asked, still greatly puzzled.

"Because Grike cannot know about this. No-one can."

"What about the driver?" Abe inquired.

"Oh, don't worry about him." Jangum assured us. "He's deaf. Won't hear a word."

"That's very reassuring." I said. "So, what is this great secret that no-one can know about?"

"It's regarding Agent 43." She replied. "As you know, 43 took over from Agent 17 after the failure of Operation: TASM. It was his job to ensure that once you and Grike had reverted back to your true bodies, you would stay that way."

"But we didn't." I pointed out.

"Exactly." Jangum said. "Because you are Alan, aren't you? The human."

"Yes." I replied. "That's me."

"Well, Alan." Jangum continued. "What if I told you that me, Agent 43, and hundreds of other agents within the Galactic Federation, were planning a rebellion?"

I didn't know what to say. I still didn't fully understand what the Federation was, let alone comprehend the idea of a rebellion.

"So what's my role in all of this?" I asked. "How can I rebel against the Galactic Federation when I don't know what it is, or have anything to do with it?"

"And what does it have to do with me?" Abe asked, similarly confused.

"Look, I know you must have questions." Jangum said. "I understand that the two of you are just simple people. You want no part in something as huge as this." I looked at Abe, and we both nodded in agreement.

"But you, Alan. You wanted to come back to Oddworld because you wanted to know the truth. And the truth is this: The Galactic Federation is an organisation of corruption, deceit, and cruelty, and it needs to be taken down. Agent 43 began the rebellion that others had been waiting on for a long time. He knows that the two of you are two of the most determined individuals on this side of the galaxy. And he needs people like you for his rebellion. So what do you say?"


	20. Chapter 20 - The Truth Comes Out

**Chapter 20 – The Truth Comes Out**

"Hello?" Jangum said sarcastically. "What do you say?"

"I don't know." I said. "I'm still confused. My head's spinning."

"Mine too." Abe agreed.

"Look, if you want the whole story, I'll tell you the whole story." She assured us. "So what do you want to know?"

She was asking a difficult question, here. There was a lot of stuff I wanted to know. I was beginning to understand why I'd been summoned to Oddworld a second time. Agent 43 had seen my determination to save Abe last time I'd been here, and he needed someone with that kind of perseverance on the rebellion's side. Also, in bringing me back, he knew he would satisfy my need for the truth. But what about the things that had changed? I remember after first arriving, Abe had shown me the moon, which displayed a different hand to the typical Mudokon one. And the face on the Feeco Depot logo. What was that all about? I decided that this was one of the questions I needed answering, so I asked Jangum.

"The moon?" She asked. "The face? Ah, yes. Here and there, Agent 43 and I laid an intricate web of changes throughout the history of Oddworld. Nothing major, just enough to guide you in the right direction. Both the hand and the face were actually those of the creature which you encountered on the cliff top in the desert."

"I guess that makes sense." I nodded. "Then I'm assuming you sent the tablet to Earth as well?"

"Yes." Jangum said. "We knew that Abe here was trying to contact you, so we gave him a little hand conveying the message. Anything else?"

"Yes." I said. "But you'll have to give me more time to think."

As the car continued to drive along, the sun slowly began to rise once again, although it was hard to see through the tinted windows. The night had passed surprisingly quickly. I still continued to make sure everything fit together in my mind. I even considered some of the events of my first visit to Oddworld. Soon, I had a bank of questions in my mind, ready to ask away.

"Ok, Jangum," I said, "Could you answer me this?"

"What is it, Alan?" Abe asked. "Have you figured something out?"

"No, not quite." I told him. "Jangum, on my last visit to Oddworld, I met a Mudokon named Dave. He told me that when he'd proved himself useless to the Glukkons, he'd been exiled from Rupture Farms to the desert. But then someone brought him back, in a red limousine with a velvet interior, if I remember correctly. It seems to me that this limo is very similar to the one he described. Would you happen to know anything about that?"

"I believe, Alan, that you can answer that question yourself." Jangum replied. "Did Dave mention to you that he was there at the moment of Abe's death?" I thought back, and now that she mentioned it, I did remember Dave saying that he saw a Slig shoot Abe. I recalled him being very afraid when I revealed that I was that Slig. So had Agent 43 orchestrated this event? Why would he do such a thing?

"No, I still don't quite get it." I assured Jangum. "He saw Abe die…"

"Yes?" Jangum replied.

"…moments after Grike and I switched bodies…"

"Yes?" She continued, nodding.

"…leading him to run away and – no." I stopped. It suddenly clicked. Agent 43 needed something to force Dave to run away so that I could meet him a week later, when I stumbled across Clakk's Oddworld Oddballs.

"Exactly." Jangum smiled, as if she had read my thought process. "Agent 43 wanted you to meet Dave then, before you met him again in the future."

"But why?" Abe said, after not speaking for a while. "Why did 43 want Alan and Dave to meet up again? And why did he want them to meet up in the first place?"

"Oh, Abe." Jangum said. "Think about it. Don't you remember having Dave's memories of Alan after you died?" Then I remembered. Of course, Abe had some of Dave's memories. It was as if Agent 43 had been trying to keep me and Abe together as much as possible. Because… because he needed both of us.

"Of course!" I said aloud. "The matter re-distribution didn't just fail. Agent 43 made it fail! He planned for me and Grike to switch only minds, not bodies."

"Now you're putting it together." Jangum said. "43 forced the transfer to fail. The residual energy from the unsuccessful switch transferred Abe's soul into Dave's body at the moment of death."

"So Agent 43 planned for my mind to be forced into Dave's body? And for Dave to meet Alan again a week later?" Abe asked.

"Yes." Jangum replied. "However, it didn't quite work that perfectly. You see, when your soul left your body, Abe, some of it was actually transferred to Alan."

"Wait, what?" He asked, puzzled. "I need to lie down." He put a hand against his head.

"Your soul split into two when you died." Jangum explained. "Part of it was in Dave, and part in Alan. That's why the only memories you have after dying are from when Dave and Alan were together. You can only remember the parts from when the two halves of your conscience were together." That would explain why Abe only had Dave's memories from the moment he woke up on Clakk's Oddball Wagon, moments before he met me. The whole thing made me feel kind of small. To think that everything, and I mean every single little detail, that had happened since I'd been on Oddworld had been planned out by this so-called 'rebellion'. Had nothing I'd done since arriving been my own doing?

"Next you'll be telling me that Agent 43 planned for me to lose all my money at Suits Out!" I joked.

"Well, let's answer the basic questions first." Jangum said.

"What?!" I exclaimed. "What's that supposed to mean? Does that mean he did?"

"Alan…" Abe groaned. "I need an aspirin." The Mudokon was slumped back in his chair, desperately trying to comprehend the situation.

"You and me both, Abe." I replied. "Look, Jangum, can we take a break? I'm having a hard time trying to swallow all of this information."

"Of course." Jangum replied. "My apologies. I shouldn't have been going too fast for you."

"Not at all," I said. "It's fine. I just… My word, I'm confused." In the last twenty minutes of my life, I'd been fed so much information I could burst. It was like we were in some kind of story, and the author was desperately trying to cover every plot hole in one go.

Anyway, feeling slightly lightheaded after all this new knowledge, I decided to get a little shut eye. I asked Jangum if she wouldn't mind too terribly giving Abe and I some time to rest, and she agreed. Laying on one of the long and comfortable velvet sofas in the limo, I allowed myself to drift away. My body relaxed, as did my brain. I could try and figure out this whole sorry affair when I awoke. The Federation, the rebellion, me, Abe, Dave. It could all wait just a little longer. Just while I got some shuteye…


	21. Chapter 21 - Dreaming of Oddworld

**Chapter 21 – Dreaming of Oddworld**

*NOTE – Hello, everybody. I am TheManFromMudos, and I am back, once again, with more 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. Thanks everyone for bearing with me and being patient whilst I was busy doing my exams. But I'm back now, and so is Alan. Only one chapter this time, I'm afraid, but there'll be more soon. So, that being said, read on, and by all means enjoy. It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus.' THANK YOU!*

I awoke a little while later, my head aching and tired. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. But I wasn't in the limousine anymore. In fact, I wasn't even in Mudos anymore. Not the city, at least. I was in the countryside, atop a grassy green hill. Below me, I could see a river, slowly babbling as the fresh water ran along it. Further on were huge, rolling fields, with a few trees interspersed here and there. In the distance, beyond this serene landscape, was the sea. The horizon was a fair distance away, but I could see even from here that it was the purest of blue. Such a beautiful sight, I thought to myself. Then I turned around, and realised that the landscape behind me did not share this quality.

Fire burned everywhere; trees were reduced to ash-covered stumps, the fields were brown and withered. The river barely trickled by on this side, almost entirely dried up. And beyond all that? There was nothing. I mean I could literally see only blackness. A few miles from the hill on which I stood, the landscape simply… ended. I was beginning to feel uncomfortable, which was only worsened by the fact that this blackness, this vast wall of nothing, was moving. Towards me.

The fields and trees in the distance slowly began to fade as they were engulfed by the darkness. The world itself was being eaten away, by the ever-approaching tide of emptiness. I looked up into the sky, and saw no end to the void. It stretched upwards indefinitely. It was as if the entire universe was just disappearing as it was approached by this darkness. I noticed animals suddenly run past me; Paramites, Elums, Slegs. The creatures sought to flee the approaching danger, and rightly so. The horizon was now barely half a mile away from me, and shrinking at an alarming rate. Metre after metre, yard after yard, the ground was simply eaten away like it was nothing. I knew it was too late to run now. The darkness was too close.

Seeing no alternative, I simply sat on the ground, accepting my fate. My eyes widened as I watched the blackness close in on me. It was less than a few metres away now. I braced myself. Then it hit me. An icy chill, colder than anything I'd ever experienced. I shivered violently as I felt myself freezing up inside. I looked around, and saw that everything was black now. In every direction, infinite expanses of nothing. Just a void. Suddenly, everything changed. The blackness instantly transformed into a blindingly bright white, and I felt my temperature sky rocket. Thousands of degrees of heat seared through every limb, every organ. Each individual cell in my body was burning up. I closed my eyes and prayed for it to be over. For this pain to end. All of a sudden, my prayers were answered.

The air around me suddenly began to cool back down, until a few seconds later it was a comfortable, lukewarm temperature. The blinding light around me had also been reduced to a faint glow, with the expanse of blackness surrounding me returning. I buried my face in my hands, confused and scared. Where was I? What was going on? I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Upon opening them again, I found myself still very much here. This time, though, there was something a little different.

As I looked out into the endless darkness that now entombed me, I saw a faint green glow, which suddenly shot towards me at remarkable speed. As it arrived in front of me, it transformed. It became a wall of letters, numbers and other symbols, akin to a digital display. There were ones and zeroes, dots and dashes, long, waving lines of various frequencies. A buzzing noise began to ring out in my ears. It was quiet at first, but that soon changed. Within a minute, it was deafening. The symbols before me flashed and shifted around, changing to different sets of characters every second. The sound in my ears started to change pitch, first up, to heights I could never imagine existed, then down to the lowest frequencies possible. This process repeated, and the symbols just kept changing. Flashing, brighter and brighter every time.

"PLEASE!" I screamed out, my brain frying under these unbearable conditions. "PLEASE, MAKE IT STOP!"

"Do you know who I am?" Came a soft voice, which I somehow managed to hear over all the ringing.

"What?" I winced through all the pain.

"Oh, so that's how you want to play it, eh?" Said a different voice, again in a hushed tone.

"Please… help me…" I whispered.

"Is this really our only option?" A third voice now spoke, although this one seemed somewhat more… familiar. But I couldn't reply this time. I was too weak, and in too much pain. The buzzing hadn't ceased this entire time, and the digital text before my eyes was now unnaturally bright.

A few moments later, I could take it no more. My limbs ached and became numb. My heart and lungs raced. I felt myself lose control of my body, collapsing to the ground. I watched as the symbols that had almost blinded me quickly began to fade away. The noise that had almost deafened me began to recede. And the voices that had filled my aching head had now vanished. Everything fell silent and dark. I closed my eyes, wishing to be released from whatever this place was. And then, just as quickly as I had awoken, I lost consciousness.


	22. Chapter 22 - PIE

**Chapter 22 – P.I.E**

*ATTENTION ALL READERS – Hello everybody, it's me, TheManFromMudos, and as always, I bring you more 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. But first (and I apologise for this in advance), I need to take a moment or two to bring you up to date with everything that will be happening with the stories over the coming weeks and months.

As you may know, I began writing FanFiction over two years ago now, and as of yet, I've only fully finished one story. But all that is about to change. I intend to finish the final nine chapters of 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus' over the next three weeks, to allow me to shift my focus elsewhere for the summer. That elsewhere will be 'T*A*S*M'. I understand that 'T*A*S*M' is, in fact, my least read story at the moment, but that doesn't matter. I started the series and I intend to see it through to its end, so you can expect the last four chapters of that in the near future as well.

Next, we move away from Oddworld completely. Some of you may have read in the past my Slender story 'The Man in the Shadows'. It has now been over a year since it was last updated. Rest assured, this summer I shall be re-writing all seven existing chapters and continuing the story _for definite._ I understand that not all readers of this story will want to read 'The Man in the Shadows', but since this is my most read story, I felt this was the best place to share the news.

Finally, we come to the question of Alan. Where's he off next? What's going to happen after 'Exoddus'? Well, it may please you to hear that like most good stories, Alan's adventure is going to be split into three. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, Alan will be returning for a third and final story to complete the trilogy, starting later this year. Until then, though, there's more story to be written! Sorry to keep you waiting, but those were all the announcements I had. Anyway, read on and enjoy. It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus' THANK YOU!*

I awoke once more, this time cautious of my surroundings. I wasn't sure what nightmare I'd just been through, but I heaved a sigh of relief when I found myself back in the limousine. Jangum leaned over me, peering down into my eyes.

"He's awake." She said, stepping aside as I sat up.  
"Uh…" I groaned, clutching at my forehead. "What just happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened, Alan." Abe announced. "She just drugged you, that's what!"

"Abe, I've told you," Jangum said, shaking her head. "It's not a drug."

"Then what is it?" I asked, my head still spinning in pain.

"It was a Perception and Intelligence Enhancer." She assured me. "Or P.I.E, for short."

"Enhancer." Abe grunted. "Sounds like a drug to me."

Looking out of the window of the limousine, I saw that we were now just reaching the outskirts of the city. Either I hadn't been asleep for long, or the city spanned for quite a distance. Anyway, bringing my focus back into the room, I realised that Jangum was talking to me.

"Alan?" She asked. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Um, no. Sorry." I replied.

"I was just explaining how the P.I.E works." She told me. "Basically, it stimulates your cognitive processes to increase your intelligence and perception."

"Perception?" I inquired.

"Yes, perception." She continued. "You see, Alan, this enhancer will allow you to understand much more thoroughly the world around you, and the situation at hand. At least until it wears off. In some cases, it may even allow you to perceive information which you have not yet been given."

Abe furrowed his brow. "So Alan can see the future now?"

"Not exactly." Jangum replied. "He can't, for instance, predict tomorrow's weather, but he could theoretically recall tonight's weather report, an- "

"Rainfall of approximately 2mm in the city centre, but sunny spells throughout." I interrupted.

"Really?" Abe asked. "Is that tomorrow's actual weather, then?"

"I don't know." Jangum said. "I'll get the driver to tune into the weather report, and we'll see." She proceeded to reach through a hole between the cab and the sitting area and tapped on the driver's shoulder. Then she pointed to the radio. He flicked it on, and a Slig's voice filled the limousine.

"…And now for the weather. According to reports, tomorrow calls for rainfall of approximately 2mm in the city centre, however sunny spells will be scattered throughout. Over in…" Jangum tapped the driver's shoulder again. He nodded, and flicked the radio back off.

"Wow!" Abe gasped. "Now _that's_ perceptive!"

"Thanks, Abe." I smiled. "Not sure how I knew it, though."

"It was because of the P.I.E," Jangum assured me. "There's your proof that it works. Anyway, let's try some questions shall we? Alan, can you tell me who I am?"

"Certainly," I began. "You are Curie Josephine Jangum, Agent 08 of the Galactic Federation's Time Anomaly Removal Division."

"Thank you." She replied. "Now, I-"

"You were born on the 12th Augcember 494735, on Colony 12 of Luna, AKA the Freed Colonies of the Moon of Earth. Your father Kenneth was Martian-British whilst your mother was a Lunar-American woman named Marie. You h-"

"That's enough, Alan." Jangum said quickly. "Thank you. Now, could you please tell me why you are here?"

"Why am I here?" I asked. "Why are any of us here? What is our purpose, our goal in this existence? Do we even truly ex-"

"No, Alan." Jangum sighed. "I mean why are you here on Oddworld?"

"Oh." I replied. "Sorry. I was originally here on Oddworld to cover for Agent 29 whilst he was being searched for by the Gallifreyan High Council as an accomplice to the Vykker criminal known as The Professor. However, I soon discovered that my arrival here was deliberately sabotaged by Agent 43, a rogue Federation agent leading a movement called the Rebellion. The Rebellion, and you, expect me and Abe to help you take down the Federation from within, so you brought the two of us together a second time in order for us to meet you."

Sighing, Abe looked down at the ground. He clearly still didn't understand it. But now I did. I finally did! And all because of this P.I.E thing that Jangum had injected me with. I looked over at the woman, who of course, I now knew to be called Curie, who smiled at what had just been achieved.

"So now you understand, yes?" She asked. I nodded. "Good. Ok, Alan, I do have one final question."

"Yes, Curie?" I asked.

"Please don't call me that." She said bluntly. "Anyway, my question is this: Alan, now that you fully understand what is going on here, and why, will you and Abe help join the Rebellion?" I looked over at Abe, and although he looked puzzled, he grinned and nodded back at me.

Turning back to Jangum, I thought to myself one final time. Did I really understand what was going on? I knew why I was here, and what the Rebellion was aiming to do, but I still wasn't sure what exactly the Galactic Federation had done wrong in the first place. However, if I'd learned anything over the last couple of months, it was that logical thinking was often not quite as helpful as you might think.

I gazed out of the window once more, out onto the landscape of Oddworld. It really was a beautiful place if you knew where to look. So was Earth, in fact. It occurred to me then that there were so many other planets out there, with the same rolling hills, the same steep cliffs and deep seas. These were the planets that were secretly being manipulated by the Federation. These were the planets that the Rebellion was fighting for. So I opened my mouth, and I answered Jangum's question.

I said 'Yes'.


	23. Chapter 23 - Sand Plough

**Chapter 23 – Sand Plough**

*NOTE – Hello everybody, I am TheManFromMudos, and here we are once again. As you may remember from the last chapter, I will be aiming to finish off 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus' before the end of the month, in order to continue writing for my other stories (and of course, starting book three). So, here are the next three, count 'em, three chapters of the story. Read on and enjoy. It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!*

The next few hours seemed to drag on for a lifetime. Now that we'd left Mudos City, we were heading through the desert towards… well, wherever Jangum was taking us. The limousine hovered along at great speed, but we still didn't seem to be getting any closer to anywhere. In every direction, there was nothing but sand. It took a while for us to get away from the tangled rural lanes that littered the area surrounding the city, but the car eventually turned onto a motorway. The odd thing was that since leaving the city, we hadn't seen a single other vehicle. Not one. It seemed odd to me to have a motorway through the desert if nobody used it. I decided to ask Abe if he knew anything about it.

"Abe," I began, "Why is this motorway here? We're clearly the only people on it, so what's the point of it?"

"Not a clue." The Mudokon replied. "I don't get to travel much, you know Alan."

"I believe I can explain." Jangum offered. I nodded, and she continued. "These motorways were actually built with the intention of heavy commercial travel between major population centres across Mudos. It's the same as on Luna. We had motorways between each colony. Sadly, no-one really wanted or was able to travel."

"So all the money that went into building these roads was for nothing?" I asked.

"And all that Mudokon labour, don't forget." Abe muttered. It seemed bizarre, but I suppose there were quite a few major roads on Earth that went mostly unused. Wasn't there one in Australia or something that had a ninety-mile straight section?

Gazing out of the window of the limousine, I noticed that at either side of the motorway, embankments of sand were starting to form. At first, they were barely a couple of feet high, but I could see in the distance that they began to tower several metres into the air.

"What formed these sand dunes, then?" I asked, to no-one in particular.

"Probably a sand plough." Jangum answered.

"What's that, then?" Asked Abe before I had a chance.

"Well," Jangum explained. "Since motorways like this often have traffic of less than ten vehicles a week, sand settles on the road in great quantities. A sand plough would probably be the most likely explanation for the sand being cleared to the side of the road, hence forming these embankments." I looked again at the dunes. It did make sense that a road as barren as this would have a lot of sand settling on it.

"How often does this plough come around?" Abe asked. "The road looks pretty sandy at the moment."

"Oh, about once a week, I reckon." Jangum answered. "Anyway, enough talk about the road. I think it's about time we filled you in on the plan, don't you?" I looked over to Abe, who looked back at me and nodded.

"Go on, then." I said. "What are we going to do?"

"Ok, it's like this." Jangum explained. "We are currently heading towards a Galactic Federation outpost in the middle of the desert. It's a huge underground base, with hundreds of Federation agents working there."

"Are we gonna shut it down?" Abe asked. "Cos' I'm all for that kinda stuff."

"No." Jangum replied. "A few agents working with the Rebellion have managed to seal off a part of the base for secret use. We'll be heading there."

"And then?" I asked, not quite seeing where this plan was going.

"Then we can get unnoticed access to the Federation Mothership, which is also their headquarters."

Sighing, I leaned back in my seat and looked up at the ceiling. When did all this happen? When did my life end up being a sci-fi reality? A month or two ago, I was perfectly happy to sit at home and play 'Oddworld: Abe's Oddysee'. Now, I was sitting next to that same Mudokon. Only he was real! Was I losing my mind?! And now, to make things even worse, we were going up against a huge interstellar force, by getting aboard their mothership? Every time I thought I was getting used to being here, being on Oddworld, being a Slig, someone threw a spanner in the works?

"Uh, Jangum?" Abe said, interrupting my train of thought. "What exactly does a sand plough look like?"

"I've never seen a real one before." The agent replied. "But I've seen pictures. They glide along a rail between the two sides of the motorway, and a huge arm hangs over each side, stretching across every lane. Why?" But before Abe could answer, the driver tapped on the window in front of us. He was pointing frantically down the road before us. About a mile in front of us, and heading in our direction, was a sand plough.

"Oh, great." I shouted. "Just great. What a lovely coincidence!"

"How was I to know that they'd plough the road today?" Jangum snapped.

"You work for the Galactic Federation, I thought they knew everything!" I snapped back.

The volume inside the cab began to rise as the two of us panicked. The plough was massive, and fast. Now less than half its previous distance away, I could see it clinging to the central rail, sucking up sand with immense force from the road below it's arms. Out of each end, the sand was then jettisoned, falling at the sides of the motorway. I guess that _did_ explain the dunes.

"Enough!" Abe suddenly bellowed, as myself and Jangum continued to both argue and panic. "There must be someway to get around it."

"What do you suggest, Abe?" I asked. "We'll never get over those dunes, and it's arm's too low for us to go under it."

"Not to mention the suction power." Jangum agreed. But Abe already had a plan.

Reaching forward, the Mudokon tapped the shoulder of the driver, who was currently sat in the front seat with his head in his hands. Holding out a three-fingered paw, Abe made the motion of a key being turned. The driver suddenly cottoned on. He grasped the ignition key with one hand and twisted it to the side. The car immediately jolted downwards. Of course! By turning the engine off, the car had stopped hovering. But would we be low enough now to pass under the plough? I looked through the front windscreen once more and saw that the plough was almost on top of us.

"Are you sure about this, Abe?" I shouted.

"No." He answered, then smiled. "But I never usually am."

"I don't think we're low enough!" Jangum gasped. "Should we bail out?"

"Good idea." I said calmly. Without so much as a second thought, I whipped open the limousine door and slumped out onto the road. I rushed to let the driver know we were making a run for it. Within seconds, all four of us were at the side of the road. There was a very thin strip, only two feet wide, between the road edge and the steep sand dunes. 'This must be the plough's blind spot', I thought. 'Well, we'll know any second.'

The four of us reached the strip of flat sand and dived for cover.

"Hopefully we'll be-" Abe began, but his sentence was drowned out by the noise of the enormous machine as it glided past. I looked up as it grinded past. It was almost deafening. I could feel the power of the suction vent on the back of my neck. Luckily, my metal legs weighed me down. The others weren't so lucky. I saw Abe ragged towards the machine by his loincloth, and Jangum by the back of her shirt. Thankfully, they weren't lifted high enough to be sucked in. Then, something whizzed before my eyes, and was pulled straight into the machine. It passed so quickly I couldn't tell what it was.

Before any of us knew what had happened, the sand plough was shooting off into the distance. I got to my feet, and looked around for Abe and Jangum. They lay on the ground, dazed and confused. Then I looked over at the limousine. I was delighted to see that it was still there. But it didn't look well. The roof had been completely ragged off by the plough, and now lay beside it in the middle of the lane.

"Is everyone alright?" I asked, coughing through the sandy dust that had formed.

"We're fine." Jangum said. "But where's… Oh, no."

"What is it?" Abe asked. But then, his face turned, and he pointed down the motorway towards the sand dune at the side.

I turned to look. Less than a hundred metres away, I saw it. From this distance, it was hard to see in detail, but it looked like several pieces of… then I realised. The driver… he… it… I don't want to talk about what I saw. It was a horrific sight. Simply horrific. I feel queasy just thinking about it. Abe looked down at the ground and whispered something under his breath. Jangum crossed a hand over her chest and looked up into the sky. I didn't know the driver all that well. I mean, we'd only met him a day ago. But I felt we had to do something. We couldn't just leave him there.

Approaching the site of the accident, I nodded to Abe. He clasped his hands together before his head, and began to chant. What was left of the driver's body began to fade away before our very eyes. Then, a small bird appeared where he had lain. I reached out slowly stroking the bird on the back of the head. Sighing, I lay my hand flat, and lifted the bird as high as I could. It flew away into the distance, high above the ground. We all smiled a sad smile at the sight of the majestic creature. For today, an ordinary man, a simple person with a simple life, had died. For nothing.


	24. Chapter 24 - Brakefast! Automobiles

**Chapter 24 – Brakefast! Automobiles**

For a while, none of us spoke. We walked silently back to the car. I asked Jangum if she was sure she was in sound enough mind to drive, in a quite damaged car, no less. She insisted that she was alright, but she still shook a little. Abe had a hardened expression on his face. He'd seen his fair share of death before. Mudokons, Sligs, Glukkons. I'd seen a few myself, but one person sprang to mind. He'd trusted me. Gave everything he could so that I could get off this planet. And I killed him. I may have been forced, but I still did it. Another innocent life, gone for nothing. Just like our humble driver.

Sitting down in the front seat of the car, Jangum turned the key in the ignition. The car coughed and wheezed, but came to life eventually. It rose from the ground into it's usual position, although the front end was slightly higher than the back now.

"What about the roof?" Asked Abe, brushing away broken glass from the seat to sit down.

"I suppose it's a convertible now." Jangum joked, clearly trying her best to keep spirits high.

"We can't just leave it there." I said. "On second thoughts, nobody uses this road anyway." We decided there was no point trying to take it with us, so we left it behind.

Pushing her foot onto the accelerator, Jangum began to drive the limousine forwards, slowly at first, but soon picking up speed. We swerved from side to side, occasionally scraping against the central rail between the parallel carriageways.

"Do you actually have a driver's license, Jangum?" I asked, as the sound of grating metal filled the air.

"Yes." She said. "But it's only valid on planets and satellites with less than 17 microgravs. That's Federation Standard Gravitational Units."

"Why seventeen?" I inquired.

"That's the gravity on Luna. Colony 12, remember?"

"Luna?" I though aloud. "Oh, the moon?"

The car jolted to one side. Jangum seemed to have tensed up.

"I'd prefer it if you were a little more respectful." She snapped. "Oh, sorry. You're not from my time period, are you? Well, 'the moon' is quite a derogatory term for Luna."

"I see. Sorry." I said. It was strange to think that in the future, it was rude to call the moon 'the moon'. Then again, 'moon' was a general term for a natural satellite, and by rights, the Earth's moon should deserve it's own official name.

"Anyway." I said, turning back around to Abe. "Can you drive Abe?"

"Do you think I can drive?" He said seriously. "I've been a slave all my life, Alan."

"Sorry, Abe." I said, ashamed. "I just can't help but offend people today, can I?"

"Oh no, I _can_ drive." Abe grinned. "I'm just not allowed." He chuckled, and me and Jangum joined in. After all, we had to look on the bright side, didn't we?

"So where are we headed now, Jangum?" I asked.

"Well, we'll have to find somewhere to get the car fixed." She replied. "Could be a while, though."

"What about the plough?" Abe asked. "Will it come back?"

"Maybe." Jangum confirmed. "So we need to get off this motorway as soon as we can." I looked ahead, and saw the road disappear over the horizon. It looked like that could be some time. I decided to sit back and think things through for a while. I twiddled my bony, green thumbs as the limousine rattled along, still swerving all over the place.

An hour or so later, the sun was right in the centre of the sky. The sun beat down onto the roofless car, with sweltering heat. Jangum adjusted her collar a lot as sweat ran down the back of her neck. I kept drying my palms on the seat next to me. Abe seemed to be alright, but he did occasionally wipe his forehead with his arm. Just as the day was at it's very hottest, Jangum began pointing excitedly towards a turn-off at the side of the road. At last, we'd found somewhere to pull off of this wretched motorway. As we approached it, the sand embankment began to recede. When it was less than a meter or two high, it revealed a building. Yes! We'd found civilisation. We were saved! Jangum turned the car sharply after nearly missing the turn, and the road became a lot rougher after that, but within a couple of minutes, we had pulled up outside the building.

"Brakefast! Automobiles…" Abe said quietly as Jangum pulled up and stopped the car.

"What's that, Abe?" I asked. He pointed up to a sign on the side of the building. Sure enough, it did say Brakefast! Automobiles. 'What a stroke of luck', I though to myself.

"They might be able to repair the limousine." Jangum said. "But it sounds dodgy to me." We didn't have much longer to discuss the matter, though, as a Wolvark soon emerged from around the corner of the building and came over to us.  
"Huh! Nice car," the Wolvark laughed as he approached. "Nothing like driving with the top down, eh?"

"Are you a mechanic?" Jangum asked impatiently.

"Are you an alien?" The Wolvark replied. "Funny-looking for an Oddworldian, if you ask me. And what's with the Mudokon passenger?"

"Now look here, my good man." Jangum snapped. "What I look like, and what he looks like is none of your concern. Now can you repair this car or not?"

The Wolvark's expression turned to slight anger. "Can," He said. "But do I wanna?"

"You listen to me, whatever your name is." Jangum replied. "These repairs, how much do they cost? Two, three thousand Moolah? So how about you stop being so rude, fix my limousine, and I'll slip you an extra grand, hmm?" I watched the Wolvark as his tension became a smile.

"Well, why didn't you say so, ma'am?" He grinned. "We'll get on it right away." He turned around and walked over to a door under a large canopy. Leaning in, he began to shout.

"Hey, you lot!" He bellowed. "Get up! There's a paying customer here and I stand to make some Moolah."

Abe tapped Jangum on the shoulder. "Four thousand Moolah?" He said. "That's more than I make in ten years. Well, _made_ in ten years."

"Don't worry, Abe." Jangum assured the astounded Mudokon. "The Federation has stocks worth trillions. We've got no shortage." I looked over at Abe, who seemed shocked.

"So what you're saying is, we're rich?" he inquired.

"Well, not exactly." Jangum said. "The Federation's rich. But we can spend as much as we need."

"I've never been rich before." Abe chuckled. "Not many Mudokons have. Feels nice."

Just then, the door to the building burst open once again. The Wolvark walked out first, followed by a group of Mudokons. Five, to be exact. The first was an ordinary worker, grayish green with a loincloth. The next two were no different. The fourth guy was blind, had his eyes stitched up so he couldn't see a thing. That was how the Glukkons had ensured nobody found out about the Mudokon bones being mined for use in SoulStorm Brew. He was white as a sheet, which for some reason, most blind Mudokons were.

Then, the last Mudokon stepped out of the door. He was staring at the ground as he exited the building, so I couldn't see his face clearly.

"Ok." Said the Wolvark, as he stepped back into the building. "Fix this woman's car, and you might just get fed tonight, boys." He chuckled as he slammed the door shut behind him. The Mudokons were not amused. They stepped out from under the canopy, into the burning daylight, and I looked at each one of them more closely as they walked towards us. Now I could see them more clearly, I noticed that the Mudokon at the back, the one who'd had his face to the ground, seemed quite familiar. Very familiar in fact. As they came closer to the car, it suddenly clicked in my head.

"Oh my Odd." I whispered, wondering if it really was who I thought it was. But it was unmistakable. It had to be. It was. Dave.


	25. Chapter 25 - Familiar Faces

**Chapter 25 – Familiar Faces**

As the Mudokons reached the front of the limousine and asked us to step out, I leaned to Abe and told him that one of the Mudokons was none other than Dave. The same Mudokon that had been by my side for most of my first journey across Oddworld. The same Mudokon that I had shot dead not two weeks ago. Abe said that I was being ridiculous, and that it couldn't possibly be him. He had a point. What were the odds of us meeting here, after all? Then again…

"Excuse me," I said to the familiar-looking Mudokon. "Can I trouble you to ask what your name is?"

"Well, we're not supposed to talk to the customers actually, sir." He replied. "Mr. Landley forbids it." He then hushed his voice to a whisper. "But if you really want to know, it's 276-442-B:Dave."

I stared at the Mudokon blankly for a moment. Could it be? Was it really Dave?

"Dave?" I said. "Don't you recognise me? Alan?" He squinted at me for a couple of seconds, then took a step back.

"A-Alan?" He asked. "Oh... my-Really?"

"It's me Dave." I smiled. "It's really me." Dave's face went pale, and he started grasping at his forehead. Suddenly, he collapsed to the ground.

Jangum and Abe came over quickly to help the confused Mudokon to his feet. They were both incredibly confused.

"Alan, is this really Dave?" Abe asked. "The guy who's head I spent three weeks inside?"

"This is the Mudokon that was present at Abe's death, isn't it?" Jangum asked. "Resurrected by the re-writing of the timeline."

"That's him." I chuckled. "I can't believe it, that's him!" The other Mudokons seemingly ignored the commotion. Instead, they worked silently on the limousine behind us. But the blind one was 'looking' in our direction, as if he knew that Dave was unwell.

Once they had gotten Dave to his feet, I ushered Abe and Jangum to give us some privacy. They agreed, and walked over to the other side of the car. I sat down on the ground, and signaled Dave to do the same. He looked around to make sure nobody would catch him slacking off work, but then he joined me.

"Alan," He said as he sat down. "I don't understand. How are you still here? Didn't you save Abe and go home?"

"I did." I replied. "But then he brought me back. That's him, right there." Dave gasped.

"Seriously?" He asked. "That is Abe? The saviour of the Mudokons?"

"Sure is." I assured him. "But let's talk about you, Dave. What can you remember?"

The Mudokon sighed, and then began to explain. It seemed he could remember everything about me. Right from the moment he first saw me at Rupture Farms, he recounted our entire journey. How he met me, where we'd traveled.

"…And then the Sligs saw what happened." He said eventually. "They took the two of us away. We were in court the next day, I remember. Then we were sentenced, and you…"

"What's the matter, Dave?" I asked, as the Mudokon began to tremble.

"You killed me!" He shouted suddenly. "You shot me, Alan."

"Oh, don't worry, Dave." Abe shouted over. "He did the same to me!"

The other Mudokons still worked silently, although the blind one was now drawing his finger across his neck, and pointing to the building.

"Dave, you might want to quite down a bit." I said. "He'll here you, you know."

"Sorry." Dave said, calming down. "I just can't believe you shot me, Alan."

"I had to." I told him. "I was forced, remember?"

"I guess." He admitted. "But it was so strange. Dying, I mean. It felt like I'd just blinked, and there I was, back at Rupture Farms, three weeks earlier. Everything had just… not happened. But I could still remember it."

I sighed, and stared off into the distance. I still couldn't believe I had found Dave. But how had he ended up here? I decided to ask him.

"Well," He began, ready to tell me all about it. "After being brought back to life, I went to speak to somebody about what had happened. A psychiatrist of sorts. A Slig of course, he listens for about a minute and then calls for me to be taken away. Says I was a 'lunatic'. Later on, they decided to sell me off. It's what they do to most Mudokons that are unfit for work. They auction us away. Mr. Landley here bought all five of us. Those three there are T:David, S:Matt and C:Peter. The blind one's called A:Nelson. 'No Eyes' Nelson, we call him. But he's a great guy, really."

I looked over at Nelson, who fiddled around with the car's engine. It kept wobbling around as he calibrated the hovering mechanisms. This made it quite difficult for the others, who were trying to measure the vehicle for a new roof.

"Why don't you just leave?" I asked Dave. He chuckled, and looked down at the ground.

"Oh, if only it were that simple, Alan." He sighed. "Where would we go? How far do you reckon we'd get?"

"But surely it's better than being here?" I said. "You're not even getting fed unless you do a good job."

"Well, it's quite motivational, actually." Dave assured me. "More likely to do a good job if you know it's your only chance of food."

"I think it's disgusting," came a voice from the other side of the car. Jangum walked over to where Dave and I sat. Abe was not far behind her.

"Well, there's nothing you can do." Dave sighed.

"That's not true, Dave." Abe said. "Look at me. I escaped from Rupture Farms, and I took ninety-nine Mudokons with me."

"Some accounts say two hundred and ninety-nine." I pointed out.

"Perhaps the details are a little hazy," Abe nodded. "But the point is, I can get the five of you away from here."

"But how?" Dave asked. "Your car isn't going to be ready for hours yet."

"Dave." Jangum said confidently. "You have done a great service to the Rebellion, you know. You helped Alan to cross Mudos, and thus ensured the failure of Operation: TASM."

"Operation what now?" Dave asked, puzzled.

"I'll explain all that another time." She answered. "But you, Dave, have helped us out immensely. We will repay you by getting you and your friends out of here. There may even be a place in the Rebellion for you…" Dave smiled, and nodded.

"Ok." He said. "I don't know what this Rebellion is, but I'll be glad to back by your side, Alan. And Abe, sir, I'd be honoured to fight alongside the saviour of the Mudokons. And you, Jangum… well, any friend of these two is a friend of mine."

"So are you saying you'll come?" I asked. Dave simply grinned. I knew what that meant. After all this time, I'd finally found him. The Mudokon that had saved my life on more than one occasion. We were back, and now we had Abe and Jangum, and a whole Rebellion by our side.

Getting to our feet, Dave and I led Abe and Jangum over to the other four Mudokons, who were still working hard on repairing the car. We went around and whispered to them the news. As soon as the car was ready, we were off. We were making an escape.


	26. Chapter 26 - 'No Eyes' Nelson

**Chapter 26 – 'No Eyes' Nelson**

*NOTE – Hello, everybody. I am TheManFromMudos, and this is it! The grand finale, the last hurrah, the curtain call. Yes, today I bring you the final five chapters of 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. At the time that this is published, I wrote these chapters last week, but due to internet trouble I was unable to upload them until today. Anyway, our story is now drawing towards yet another ending. Keep reading until the very end for just a nibble of information about the continuing adventures of Alan later this year. So as always, read on, and of course enjoy. It's 'Oddworld: Al's Exoddus'. THANK YOU!*

The other Mudokons seemed more than happy to be a part of our daring escape from Brakefast! Automobiles. David, Matt and Peter all agreed in a heartbeat. Nelson didn't say anything, although he nodded occasionally as I explained the plan. Once the others had all been informed, I asked Dave to keep them working on the car until it was time for action. We had to look inconspicuous in case Landley came out of the building at any point. Me, Abe and Jangum sat on the ground near the car and began to talk about what we were going to do.

"OK, here's the thing." Abe began, taking the reigns of the operation. "I've saved many a Mudokon in my time, as the two of you well know." Jangum and I nodded in agreement.

"So what are your plans for these particular Mudokons, Abe?" Jangum asked.

"Thanks for asking, Jangum." Abe replied. "As it happens, I've never had a getaway vehicle before." He gestured towards the car. The Mudokons were now cutting a large piece of sleek, black metal to form the limousine's new roof.

"That should make things a little easier." Abe continued. "But we might not have enough time for it to be fully repaired."

"Can't we just make a break for it?" I enquired. "After all, we outnumber him, eight to one, right?"

"I wish it were that simple, Alan." Abe answered, shaking his head. "That Wolvark, Landley? He'll most likely have extra security, hidden away, ready to call out at any time. It's too risky a move."

Looking around the mechanic's yard, I realised that Abe was right. On Oddworld, even a tiny business such as this would probably have hidden security features. I could see two sealed metal hatches on the ground at either side of the road we'd entered from. Turrets could easily rise from these two openings, or even a pair of Big Bro Sligs. It was, as Abe said, a risky move.

"Oh, and don't forget about that Sand Plough." Jangum suddenly exclaimed. "Damn thing nearly killed us, remember?" This was another valid point. Perhaps it was too much of a risk to drive at all. Unless…

"Abe," I began, pointing towards the looming sand embankment that lined the far side of the motorway. "Do you know what's over the other side of those dunes?"

"I'd assume it's just flat desert." He replied. The road seems pretty flat. No hills or anything like that. I'm guessing the desert around us is quite flat too."

"Good." I muttered to myself. "Very good."

"Do you have an idea, Alan?" Jangum asked. I simply nodded, already on my way over to the car.

Arriving at the front end of the car, I tapped the shoulder of the Mudokon with his head under the bonnet. Pulling himself away from the engine which he still tinkered with, he revealed himself to be Nelson. I remembered what Dave had said about him being blind, but I asked him if he could hear me alright and he nodded.

"So, Nelson, you're our engine guy, are you?" I enquired, but continued without a reply. "I'd like to know a little more about this hovering system, if you don't mind." The blind Mudokon pointed towards his mouth and then shrugged his shoulders. I was now becoming quite confused.

"Oh, Alan!" Dave exclaimed, rushing over to the front of the car. "I forgot to tell you. Nelson can't speak. He's mute."

"Mute?" I sighed. "So not only is he blind, but he can't say a word, either?" Dave smiled apologetically.

Taking a deep breath, I considered how I would communicate with this blind, mute Mudokon that was still fixing our limousine. Well, Jangum's limousine.  
"Nelson." I said again, regaining the repairman's attention. "Can you adjust the hovering mechanism so the car can hover higher off the ground?" He nodded, so I continued, "Can you make it so that we can adjust the height whilst driving?" He shook his head. 'Ah', I though to myself. That would complicate things a little.

Slipping away from Nelson back over to Abe and Jangum, I explained what I had in mind. If Nelson could allow the car to hover higher than it should, we might be able to drive it over the embankment and onto the flat desert. The only problem was that we'd all have to be in the car and ready to go, as it would hover up above our heads as soon as the ignition was turned on. Then there was the question of stopping the car in mid-air, and getting out safely without anyone getting hurt. It was a stretch, I know. But it was the best plan we had. Abe and Jangum seemed to think so too, as they both agreed to my idea.

A few minutes later, word had been spread about the plan. The three Mudokons that were working on the roof were just welding it in place before we were ready to go. After that, Nelson climbed in and restarted the car's engine. It almost immediately rose to a height of almost three metres from the ground. He turned the ignition back off, and the car landed with a loud thud.

"Ok, everybody." Abe announced loudly, now worried that the noise of the car landing may have attracted Landley's attention. "Get in." The seven of us then joined Nelson in the limousine. First Jangum got into the front, and then myself, after guiding Nelson to the back doors. The other Mudokons then entered through the back. And there we were: A human, A human trapped in the body of a Slig, and no less than six Mudokons. I couldn't help but feel that this was a sight to behold as Jangum turned the ignition and the car rose into the air.

"Sure you don't want me to drive?" I asked Jangum as she tried to turn the hovering vehicle around.

"I'm fine, Alan." She said, before backing into a telegraph pole, causing it to lean sharply backwards.

"Maybe you should drive." She nodded, and the two of us attempted to switch places. This was particularly difficult given that the car was not actually on solid ground, but we soon managed to get into our correct positions.

"Ok, guys!" I shouted happily as I placed my hands upon the steering wheel. "Who's ready for a road trip?" There were cheers of agreement from the back, and Abe reached through to pat me on the back.

"Take her away, Alan." He smiled. "Let's get these fellas outta here!" Another resounding cheer came from the back, so I decided not to waste any more time. I looked down to my left to find the gear stick, and then pushed it forwards to what I can only assume was third. The symbols were quite confusing, to be honest.

"Have you ever driven a car in your life, Alan?" Jangum said.

"Of course I have." I smiled. "Only difference is mine had wheels. And the dashboard was in English." And with that, I placed the heel of my metal leg firmly onto the accelerator. The car revved noisily and then jolted forwards, separating us from the telegraph pole we had made contact with.

Slowly at first, but soon picking up speed, we moved towards the edge of the mechanic's yard. I heard one of the Mudokons shout that Landley had come out of the building. I swiftly changed gear, in the hope that I could give the engine a bit more welly. It worked, and the car suddenly lunged across the motorway. It glided over the central rail with no effort whatsoever, but then we approached the embankment. 'We need to be higher', I thought, bracing for us hitting the huge sand dune.

"Look out, Alan!" Jangum shouted as the car glided closer to the embankment.

"Don't worry, Jangum." I replied, although I too was quite panicked. "I don't claim to be an expert on the science of hovering, but I think we'll go over it. It'll just be like a little speed bump, don't worry." It wasn't. As soon as we reached the dune, the front of the car slammed into it. Everybody was thrown forwards, and I smashed my head into the steering wheel. But the car didn't seem fazed by the impact. It pushed itself upwards, straight over the top of the dune, and then we fell back to our original height with a judder.

"Told you." I said, grinning at Jangum. Then, I grabbed hold of the gear stick again, and pushed it into top gear. The car began to pick up speed now. We were clear. We were out onto the smooth desert surface. The three of us had safely made it out of Brakefast! Automobiles with five Mudokon workers in tow. Now all we had to do was drop them off somewhere safe, and we were back on track. I stared out over the open desert as the car bundled along at a decent clip. I smiled inside. For now we were well and truly on our way. I was closer to the truth than ever before now. Me, Abe, Dave - Soon we would have our clarity. Soon, Jangum would show us how this whole mess had started.


	27. Chapter 27 - It's an Odd World

**Chapter 27 – It's an Odd World**

For about an hour, the limousine hurtled along across the desert plains. Afternoon was beginning to set in but the sun was still burning away in the sky relentlessly. For most of the journey, the Mudokons in the back kept arguing and chattering loudly, with Abe occasionally telling them to shut up. In the front, it was an entirely different story, with Jangum and I barely exchanging so much as a glance. To be fair, I was trying to drive, but it had become quite awkward after a while.

"So, Jangum," I began eventually, breaking the silence in the front of the car. "You've told Abe and me a lot about this rebellion against the Galactic Federation, but you still haven't fully explained what the Galactic Federation is and does."

"It's a long story, Alan." Jangum explained. "It began with the formation of the Federation of Planets in 5040 Galactic Time, which would be around the 4893rd Century in the Gregorian calendar. The Federation originally existed as a peaceful association. It was the result of a coalition of planetary governments in the western star systems of the Milky Way."

As Jangum continued to discuss the rise and fall of the Federation of Planets, I must admit my mind began to wander. I heard the most important details, of course. How the Federation had spent over three centuries building an enormous mothership, which was now one of 412,000 scattered across the galaxy. How they had begun by giving support to planets where poverty and illness was rife, and now had over 230 billion civilisations under their wing. And how they'd managed to support planet after planet for millennia on end, only to be brought down by just one race.

"Humanity?" I repeated, after Jangum had already said the word three times.

"Yes, Alan." She assured me. "Hard to believe isn't it? That an organisation as huge as the Federation of Planets could give aid to almost the entire galaxy, yet fell at the hands of none other than us humans. By the year 478106, the human race had taken over the entire solar system. And when the Federation came along to offer help? Well, let's just say the human race was not particularly grateful for their offering."

"They turned the Federation's help down?" I asked, whilst carefully trying to maneuver the car around some jagged rocks that were now starting to spring up in front of us.

"Oh, no." Jangum replied. "They accepted the Federation's offer. But that was merely a ruse to get the human race into the Federation. By 478219, the population on board the Federation mothership was over 75% human. By then, all the humans had to do was storm the ship's bridge and commandeer the vessel for 'the benefit of mankind'."

Glancing over at Jangum, I saw a deeply troubled look in her eyes. I didn't need her to tell me anything else. I could piece that much together. Humanity has always been one of _those_ races. Hungry for power, thirsty for control over others. I understood that once the humans gained control of the Federation, it quickly turned from an organisation of greatness and galactic community to one of corruption and exploitation. Thus, the Galactic Federation was born.

Half an hour later, Jangum and I sat in silence once again. The Mudokons in the back argued still, although considerably less so than before, and much more quietly. I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned around to see Abe leaning up against the window.

"Alan," He said in a hushed tone.

"What is it Abe?" I asked, turning back to face in the direction I was driving.

"I was just wondering where exactly we were taking these Mudokons." He replied

"Well…" I started, realising that what Abe had said implied that we were going nowhere in particular. "I was kind of hoping we'd eventually stumble across somewhere."

"Stumble across somewhere?" The Mudokon snapped back at me. "Look, head that way." He pointed a finger in the direction that the sun was beginning to set.

Turning about thirty degrees to the left, I accelerated directly towards the sunset. I had to look down at the floor to avoid hurting my eyes here, but thanks to the lack of traffic in the middle of the desert, it didn't matter. After continuing like this for another half an hour, we finally began to reach the outskirts of the desert. Almost instantaneously, sand began to turn into grass, the flat landscape became hilly and rough, and trees shot up into the air. If I didn't know better, I would have considered this place some kind of mirage caused by the heat. But I knew it was real, and so did the others. Cheers came from the back of the car as the Mudokons realised where we were.

"Well, here we are guys." Abe announced to the excited workers. "The Monsaic Lines." Another cheer erupted from the back, and sounds of arguing and frustration were now replaced with sounds of eagerness and joy. The car struggle now, though. The low-hanging limbs of gargantuan trees were a tough match for us at our three-metre cruising height. With Jangum's agreement, I turned the key in the ignition, and the whirring of the limousine's hovering underside slowly fizzled out. The car jerked downwards, and crashed down onto the grassy jungle floor with a thump. Jangum and I were shaken by the impact, but the Mudokons seemed too excited to even care.

Stepping out of the car beneath the jungle canopy, I breathed in deeply and smiled. The cool, gentle breeze which washed through the trees was perfection after such a hot drive through the desert. I reached down and felt the grass beneath my feet with one hand. It was the richest green imaginable, and so smooth you could use it as a pillow. All around, I could hear the chirping of birds, and a cacophony of other noises from the variety of insects and rodents that this place was home to. For a few moments, I simply stood there, drinking it all in. Such an amazing place.

"Ok, then." Abe said, addressing the Mudokon workers we had now brought to safety. "This is it, everybody. One of the only places left on Oddworld where Mudokons still have their freedom. Now follow me, and I'll take you to the natives." The other Mudokons nodded and gave words of approval, before all of them readied up for the walk. Then they were ready; ready to head on into their new lives, away from slavery and any industry; ready for their new path of spirituality and peace with nature. Jangum and I went over to join the group, but were met by a now stern-talking Abe.

"Sorry, guys." Said the apologetic-looking Mudokon. "But I don't think the locals would be happy to see you."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, it's just that… you know, you're not Mudokons." Dave replied, joining the conversation. "We know you, and these guys here know you," He nodded.

"But to the native Mudokons, you're just a Slig and… some other thing." Abe continued.

"Some other thing?" Jangum exclaimed, astonished.

"Not my words." Abe grinned. "In fact, I believe it was Matt who called you that." Abe then turned and rejoined the group behind him, as did Dave. The six of them then began to walk away into the trees, and were soon out of our sight.

A short while later, Jangum and I were sat on the ground beside the car. The sun was now completely out of view, and the Mudokon moon was high above us. I was almost ready to sleep, but Jangum insisted we wait for Abe and Dave to come back. So instead, I took some time to admire the jungle around us. The trees really did tower grandly over our heads here, and the leaves fluttered in the breeze with a relaxing swish. The trunks of the trees were covered in insects; Bolamites, Thudslugs, Zapflies, and in such a variety of colours. Higher up, Chippunks leaped from branch to branch of the colossal trees, and right down on the ground, the occasional Fuzzle hopped by.

"What a great place, eh Jangum?" I sighed, admiring the awe-inspiring landscape around me.

"What an odd place." She replied, although I could see in her eyes that she was also lost in thought at the spectacle that surrounded her.

"It's an Odd World." I smiled. "That's what gave it it's name, after all." She chuckled slightly, and sighed. It must have been nice for her, to have this moment of peace. Some time away from the Galactic Federation, from the Rebellion. A moment of solitude.

Just as this thought was going through my head, I heard the crash of leaves and branches snapping. Looking into the deeper jungle, I saw three figures emerge from the clearing. At first, I was unsure whether they were hostile or not. But when they approached, I was relieved to see that the trio was led by Abe. Behind him was Dave, and Nelson brought up the rear.

"Everything go alright?" I asked as Abe came and sat on the ground beside us.

"Pretty much." He nodded. "David, Matt and Peter are now free to live with the other natives."

"And why did you bring Nelson back?" Jangum enquired.

"Oh." Dave said. "Well, funny story, actually. You see, Nelson here wouldn't stop following us. When we got to the native village, he refused to stay. On the way back, we kept telling him to go back, but he just shook his head and carried on following us."

I sighed deeply, as did Jangum. Nelson smiled as I shot my human counterpart a glance that said, 'Can we bring him along?' A blind Mudokon was surely a danger to a mission as big as this. But if we couldn't get him to stay, what could we do? Just leave him in the jungle, wandering aimlessly before eventually dying? Jangum closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. Finally, she looked over with a very specific facial expression. 'Yes'.


	28. Chapter 28 - Working on the Railroad

**Chapter 28 – Working on the Railroad**

After Jangum and I had caught up on Abe, Dave and Nelson's journey to the native village, we decided that since it was night, and it had been such a long, exhausting day, we should spend the night here, in the comfort of the soft jungle grass. As I lay down, I stared up at the stars that shone brightly in the Oddworldian sky. I wondered if one of them was the sun, visible from all these light years away, providing light for my own home planet. The more I thought about Earth, the more I found myself missing it, and this time, I'd only been away from my home for about a fortnight.

But Oddworld wasn't really that different from Earth in the grand scheme of things. It had similar landscapes, somewhat similar plant and animal life, and even similar society and culture. Perhaps that was why, when this place wasn't trying to kill me, I could truly appreciate it for what it was: a beautiful, diverse world. Such a shame it had been corrupted by the corporate greed of species like the Glukkons and Vykkers. Once again, Earth's own history was not exactly a million miles away from Oddworld's tragic tale.

As I continued staring up into the night sky, contemplating my experience here on Oddworld, I felt my eyes starting to tire. Slowly, my eyelids began to shut, until I was finally asleep. And it was perhaps the most peacefully I'd ever slept since arriving on Oddworld. The thick, warm grass beneath me probably contributed to this. Softer than silk or at least it felt, compared to other places I'd slept over the last month or so. I can't remember if I dreamt anything in particular that night. Perhaps I dreamed of Earth; of my home in Trosking. Perhaps I dreamed of my journey; of how far I'd come with the other people who now slept on the ground around me. Or perhaps I'd dreamed of the future; of what was to come, although of course I couldn't have known for sure at that point. Whatever it was, I remember it being a calm and peaceful night.

The next morning, I awoke before the others, and so decided to try and track us down some breakfast. I remembered when Dave and I had walked the Mongo River together, we'd subsided on whatever fish we could retrieve from the water, but there didn't seem to be a water source close by. Instead, I collected up a couple of Bolamites and Thudslugs. Perhaps we could fry them, I thought. Bringing them back to the camp, I found the others had awoken, and were all gathered around the car.

"What's the matter?" I asked, approaching the grounded limousine.

"See for yourself." Dave said, stepping to one side to allow me to fully view the car. Rising from the jungle floor, and completely ensnaring the vehicle, were thick, green vines. How they'd managed to grow so quickly was beyond me, but by the looks of it, they wouldn't budge.

"They look like Miza vines to me." Jangum announced, coming around the car to where I stood.

"Mi-Me…za?" Dave asked, puzzled. "What are they?"

Shaking her head, Jangum corrected Dave's pronunciation error. "Not me-za," she sighed. "Miza, like 'an old miser'."

"I've heard of those." Abe nodded. "Apparently they grow all over on the other side of Oddworld. But I've never seen them before."

"That's because they're very rare in Mudos." Jangum explained. They're used to cooler climates, and this is Oddworld's hottest continent." I couldn't argue with that. Being a Slig, I didn't have to worry about sunburn, but I had noticed that Jangum's skin was quite red after yesterday's journey across the desert.

"So what's the deal with these Miza vines?" I asked. "And how do you know so much about them?"

"My cousin did a course on extraterrestrial flora and fauna at a Federation-run university." She replied. "Miza vines can grow up to five times faster than bamboo, but are tougher to cut through than a metre-thick plank of solid oak wood."

"So…" Abe interjected. "That's a no for the car, then?"

"That's a no for the car." Jangum agreed. Brilliant, I thought. Just brilliant. But I suppose the car had been beaten up enough over the last couple of days. Maybe it was for the best that it now met it's timely death, at the hands of a fast growing weed, rather than it eventually breaking down in the middle of nowhere.

"So what's the plan?" I asked Jangum, who was staring out through the trees and into the desert.

"Look up there." She said, pointing upwards, almost above the treetops. I looked, and saw that just outside the jungle, just a few feet into the heat of the desert, and suspended high above the ground, was a rail.

"A railway line?" I enquired. "Where does it go?"

"I'm not entirely sure." She admitted. "But I do recall a railway line passing over the Federation base in the desert, and we are on almost the same latitude as the base right now."

"You think the line can take us there?" I asked, to which she replied with a quick nod. It occurred to me that I was asking quite a lot of questions right now. But Jangum didn't seem to mind.

Heading back to the car, we told the others that we thought the railway line could lead us to the Federation base. They weren't very pleased when we told them we would have to walk across the desert again.

"Why don't we just get on a train?" Dave asked, to which Abe and Nelson nodded in agreement.

"How would we get up there?" I asked.  
"And even if we did, how often do trains come by here?" Jangum enquired. "I didn't hear any last night. In fact, I didn't even notice the line was there until this morning." I saw Nelson tap Dave on the shoulder. Then, he picked up a stick and walked out onto the sand.

"I think Nelson's trying to tell us something." Jangum said. Sure enough, Nelson began to scratch something into the sand with his stick. He drew a circle, with one arrow pointing towards it, and one pointing away from it, forming a cycle. Beneath that, he drew two short parallel lines.

"What does that mean?" I asked Dave. He knew Nelson better than us. Perhaps he could decipher this drawing.

"Hmm," Dave said, inspecting Nelson's carving in the sand. "The circle could be the sun. The two arrows in a cycle might mean a complete cycle of the sun. A day."

"Aha!" Abe exclaimed. "So the two lines must be a tally. Two lines, twice a day. The train comes twice a day!" Nelson nodded in agreement. That was what he was trying to tell us. The train came twice a day. Now, we just had to wait until the next time it came.

A few minutes later, the five of us were desperately attempting to scale a nearby tree. The plan was that when a train came by, we could jump onto it from the treetop. This was the tallest tree we could find that was close enough to the railway line to jump from. So there we all were, climbing the branches of the enormous tree.

"Dave," I asked as we climbed. "How does Nelson know that the train comes twice a day?"

"I think he used to work at the Feeco Depot." The Mudokon replied, struggling to reach for a high branch. "Guess he's kind of an expert on the timetables."

"Hmm." I said, thinking aloud. "Maybe it's a good think we decided to keep him around." Dave agreed, then went back to concentrating on the climb.

After half an hour of climbing, we reached the top of the tree. The view was amazing. Behind us, the jungle seemed to span forever, reaching well over the horizon. In front, the desert did the same. The railway line was perfectly straight in both directions, apart from a very slight meander to the east, where the track had to maneuver around a huge tree that stood forward of the others. By chance, it was only ten minutes or so before a train appeared in the distance. Within five more minutes, it was little more than a mile away from us.

"Ok, everyone." I said to the group. "This train is coming, and it's coming fast. We are… quite high up, so we only have once chance to jump onto it. Got it?" There was murmuring from the others. They didn't seem too pleased about the idea of potentially jumping to their deaths. But, we were all up here now, so there was no alternative. We would have to make the jump. The train came closer and closer. We now had little less than a minute before it arrived. Yet something still bothered me.

"Hang on a minute…" I said, realising the flaw in this plan. "Nelson! How's he going to jump? He's blind."

"Oh." Dave sighed. "I hadn't thought of that."

With the train now thirty seconds away, we had to think quick. I told Abe and Dave to grab Nelson's hands. They'd have to jump with him. I glanced at Jangum, who smiled, but still had a worried look in here eye.

"Right, guys." I announced, taking a few steps back for a run up. "Remember, one shot. If you don't make it… anyway, happy thoughts." And with that, I pushed myself forwards. Running straight towards the edge of the tree, I took one last look back at the others. They were all now running forwards. A second later, I had run out of tree branch. But I didn't stop. I forced myself to jump. The train was now directly below us. Bracing for the impact, I was now airborne. This was it, I thought. The do or die moment.


	29. Chapter 29 - Stopping Distance

**Chapter 29 – Stopping Distance**

Seconds later, I smashed into the rail on which the train was suspended. I desperately tried to stabilize myself, but found it was no use. The momentum of the jump continued to propel me forwards, causing me to fall into one of the open trucks. Luckily for me, it was empty. However, it was several feet deep. I smashed into the bottom, face first, creating excruciating pain in my head and neck. I pushed through it though, knowing that now was not the time for me to go around getting myself hurt.

Getting to my feet, I looked up to the opening on the top of the truck. I noticed there were ladders down the inside wall, probably placed there specifically in case somebody fell in. I quickly scaled the ladder and, reaching the surface, slightly poked my head out into the open. The speed at which the train was moving generated a strong wind that almost bowled me over. But I managed to keep myself secure for long enough to see that the others had managed to land safely on the train behind me. Just like I had, Jangum had fallen into the truck behind, with Abe, Dave and Nelson landing together in the one behind that. I was relieved to see that Nelson's blindness hadn't caused Abe and Dave any problems with the jump.

"Nice landing everyone!" I shouted over the noise of the train, and of course the wind. "You all OK?"

"I'm fine!" Jangum shouted. Abe and Dave also shouted out similar messages.

"Nelson's fine too!" Dave added, after announcing his own safety.

"So what now?" I yelled to Jangum, desperately trying to be heard.

"The Federation base is hidden beneath the desert," She explained. "But it's under a large artificial hill, so I'll be able to recognise it when we get closer."

"And how do we get onto this hill?" Asked Abe foolishly.

"We'll have to jump!" Was Jangum's inevitable reply. Of course.

For the next few hours, the train continued to rattle along the line. Looking out across the landscape, I saw that the jungle soon dissipated, until all that was visible in both directions was the flat land of the desert. Eventually, the land in the South became hilly, and I could just make out the faint outline of a multitude of buildings. Mudos City. To think, it had only been a few days ago that Abe and I had been down there. Playing Suits Out. Tracking down Jangum. It had sparked a whole series of events that had brought the five of us together here. And now, it was just a hazy mess of buildings on the horizon.

Another hour later, the sun was beating down hard on the desert sand. But this didn't bother us anymore, what with the breeze of the train speeding along keeping us cool. Plus, when we were so close to our destination, the thought of the hot sun didn't seem to bother us. In fact, I was glad of the image. After all, if we were taking the fight to the Galactic Federation Mothership, this might be the last time for a while that I'd see the sun this close up.

The train eventually passed over the motorway, which by the looks of things was already in need of another ploughing. I could see a cluster of hills further down the sand-covered road, nestled between which was the Brakefast! Automobiles building. I wondered whether Landley, the Wolvark owner, was still searching for his escaped Mudokon workers. Perhaps he'd just go to another auction and by some more slave labour, perhaps not. But we couldn't worry about that anymore. We had bigger fish to fry.

"Jangum!" Dave shouted after a further half an hour of empty desert beneath us.

"What is it, Dave?" She asked, turning to face the Mudokon behind her.

"I've been thinking," He continued. "What if we jump too early or too late?"

"Ah." She sighed. "That's a fair point, Dave."

"Is there any chance we could get the train to stop right over the hill?" I asked. "Then we could just drop down."

"But how would we get it to stop?" Abe enquired, contributing to the conversation. Then I saw Nelson, once again tapping Dave on the shoulder. Could this be another moment for Nelson to demonstrate his knowledge?

"What's going on, Dave?" I called over. "Is he trying to tell us something again?"

"I think so!" Dave shouted back. But Nelson was already hard at work. Before anybody knew what was happening, the pale Mudokon had scampered up on top of the truck. Gaining his balance, he ran forward, and jumped right over the truck that Jangum was in. Then, he jumped right over my own head, and continued to leap from wagon to wagon, heading towards the front of the train. I was amazed by how well he managed to judge the distance between each truck without eyesight. No sooner than I'd had this thought, I saw Nelson attempt to jump across a wagon, and fall face first into it.

"Nelson!" I yelled towards the front of the train. "Are you alright?" I saw a hand reach out from the truck, forming a thumbs-up. Thank goodness for that. Nelson climbed up once again onto the top of the train, and after leaping over a few more trucks, he was at the locomotive at the front. He reached up, and pulled himself onto the locomotive. Then, he clasped both paws around a large pin that was slotted between the engine and the first truck. Of course! If Nelson detached the trucks from the engine, we'd eventually slow down enough to stop directly above the hill.

"Nelson, that's brilliant!" Jangum shouted. "But don't pull it out yet! We have to wait until the hill's in sight, so we can judge the train's stopping distance!" She leaned over the side of the truck that she was in, and looked forward, way into the distance in front of the train. Eventually, she told us that she could see the hill, and as it approached, she gave Nelson the signal. He pulled the enormous pin from the joint which held the train to the locomotive, then jumped back into the first truck as the engine began to speed ahead. Immediately, I began to feel the train slowing down. The wind became lower and lower, and the rattling of the wheels on the rail became quieter.

Five minutes or so later, the speed of the train had been reduced to almost nothing.

"OK, everyone," I said, now able to speak without shouting over the noise of the train. "We're about to stop. Jangum, is the hill below us?"

"It's a little further along." She answered. "We should make it if we jump from the front, where Nelson is." We all agreed, seeing no other option. Then the four of us climbed out of our own trucks and headed towards the front of the train.

Reaching Nelson's position, I leaned over the side of the truck to see just how close we were to the hill. It was a huge mound of sand, sticking out like a sore thumb in the middle of the perfectly flat desert. Not very inconspicuous, I had to say. The apex of the hill was little more than five metres below us, but it was a considerable jump forwards. If Nelson had pulled the pin just a second later, the whole train could have been several metres further forward, allowing us to easily drop straight down and land safely. But, there was nothing to be done about it now. We were just going to have to jump. Again.

"So who wants to go first?" I smiled. Everyone looked down at their feet, apart from Abe. He wasn't afraid to be the first one to jump. Rearing up just a little, he lunged forward, and plummeted towards the ground. I watched as he smacked into the top of the hill with a thud. An uncomfortable landing, to be sure, but he had managed the jump. Next up was Dave, who made a similarly uncomfortable landing. Then, Jangum agreed to take the Dave. Finally, just Nelson and myself were left standing on top of the now stationary train.

"OK, Nelson." I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "We're going to have to jump again, alright?" He nodded, and took a step forward. Suddenly, his foot slipped, and he began to fall. I thrust my arm in front of him, catching him before it was too late.

"Careful, Nelson." I gasped, pulling the Mudokon back to safety. "Don't worry, I'll jump with you." He smiled, and held out a hand for me to take hold of. I offered my own hand, and then gently tugged him back a few steps. Then, pushing him forwards, I stepped towards the end of the truck, and forced myself over the edge. I felt Nelson's hand slip away from my own, but when I looked back, I saw that he had also jumped.

A second or so later, I made contact with the ground. Fortunately, I landed feet first this time, and my metal legs absorbed the shock. Then Nelson came crashing down directly on top of me. I felt his bony legs dig into my back, and let out a quick gasp of pain. Then I threw him off me, and got to my feet. Abe and Dave were beside me, waiting to assist us in case Nelson had trouble landing. But Jangum was already off down the hill.

"Where's she off to?" I asked the two waiting Mudokons.

"Well, if I had to hazard a guess, Alan, I'd say she was finding the entrance to the base!" Dave replied sarcastically.

"Right." I nodded. "Shall we follow her then?" The others agreed, and we set off down the hill after her. But we weren't just walking down a hill that day.

No, that day, we were walking towards something greater. Something that we still couldn't possibly imagine, even after everything we'd been through. But there was one thing we did now. As the four of us made our way down the hill that day, we all knew that our lives were about to be turned upside down. Everything was about to change.


	30. Chapter 30 - What the Future Holds

**Chapter 30 – What the Future Holds**

It took a while for the four of us to catch up with Jangum, who was already halfway down the hill. Now that we had escaped the breeze of the train as it sped along, the sun's rays once again devoured us, and being on top of a huge hill only served to increase the temperature around us. Eventually, we reached Jangum, who was sitting on a rock near the foot of the hill. As soon as me and the Mudokon trio had arrived by the side of the rock, she got down, and turned to touch it's cool surface.

"What are you doing, Jangum?" I asked, as she strategically fondled the large rock.

"I'm getting us in." She replied. "Any further questions?"

"Well, yes actually." I nodded. Was the rock some kind of touch pad? Was she entering a text and/or number code?" She refused to say, but after she had continued to stroke the rock for a few more seconds, a noise began to radiate from beneath us. Suddenly, the noise erupted into the loud, screeching groan of grinding cogs. The sand underneath us now felt… unstable. Like it was moving.

"You might want to move over here." Jangum explained, still stood securely by the side of the rock. I thought it best to do as she said, so I indicated to the other three to move. No sooner than we had stepped to the side of the slow-moving patch of sand, it collapsed in on itself, draining almost instantly. In it's place, it left a hole with a hard, flat base. It also revealed a hard rock wall behind the sand. Jangum told us that we had to jump into the hole. Fortunately, it was only a few metres deep, so we willingly agreed. First went Jangum, then Abe and Nelson, and finally Dave and myself.

Landing in the hole, I relaxed slightly in the shade that had been created by the wall. I couldn't relax for too long, though, as Jangum had already gone over to a row of slits in the side of the wall, and spoke into it, saying: "Agent 08, clearance 5-7-Alpha-Gamma-12." A buzzer sounded, and the same noise of grinding machinery followed. A second later, the wall split down the middle, and both sides began to slide away from each other. This caused me to fall over, as I was leaning against the wall at the time.

Once the wall had fully moved, it revealed a large metal door, which also began to slowly open. The door looked incredibly futuristic, far beyond anything that I'd ever seen. Or was it? I was reminded of the tablet I'd been posted just before my second visit to Oddworld had begun. The tablet that had, in fact, caused my second visit to Oddworld.

"Gentlemen," Jangum began, as the door sank into the ground, allowing us to walk over it. "Welcome to the Galactic Federation…"

What we saw in that room was, at that time, beyond belief. High-tech didn't even begin to describe it. This was 4947th Century technology. On the left wall, there were about twenty enormous, 20-feet computer monitors. Each one displayed a different piece of information, such as outside temperature and pressure on one, and current exchange rates between Moolah and some other strange currency on another. On the right wall were several doors, approximately six in a row. But above that, there were another six, with no balcony or stairs leading up to them at all. Finally, on the opposite wall, there was a wide, tall corridor, that disappeared round a corner further along.

Following Jangum, we approached a circular desk in the centre of the room. All around us, people were bustling about. Vykkers and Glukkons, of course, but also plenty of humans, and a fair amount of other creatures which I couldn't recognise as being from either Earth or Oddworld.

"Agent 08," Jangum began, addressing a Vykker who sat behind the circular desk. "Clearance 5-7-Al-"

"Alright, Jangum." The Vykker interrupted in a deep voice. "I heard you over the comms. What are you here for? And who are these guys?"

"That's on a need-to-know basis, mate." Jangum replied. "As for me, I've come to relay to Alpha One."

Sighing deeply, the Vykker began to type something into his computer. "Are you sure it's wise to be going aboard Alpha One, given the state of things?" He asked as he searched.

"Oh, don't worry about me, Carl." Jangum chuckled. "If all goes well up there, the 'state of things' will soon be a lot better." She gave me a curt nod, which I passed on to the other three. Carl continued to type on his keyboard, until his computer let out a beep.  
"Ah, here we are." He announced. "Relay Booth 19-X in… precisely seventeen minutes. That suit you?"

"That'll be just fine, thanks Carl." Jangum nodded. Then she ushered us away from the help desk, towards the wall that was covered in doors.

"If you're back within the month, call me for coffee!" Carl called to Jangum, jokingly.

"Never going to happen, Carl." She smiled back, then turned and muttered to me quietly: "I could never date a guy with that many arms." I grinned, and wondered to myself if the Federation would even allow… that sort of thing. I didn't have long to wonder, though, as we were soon at the side of the door-covered wall. Looking up, I saw that one of the doors said 'Relay Booth Area X: 1-300.' That must be where we were going, I thought. I was quite shocked then, when Jangum led us through one of the doors on the bottom row, which said 'Relay Booth Area D: 1-250.'

Walking through the door, we found ourselves in a long, dark corridor, short and narrow.

"Jangum, didn't that Vykker guy say Booth X-19?" Dave asked. I was relieved that someone else had noticed that we had gone through the wrong door.

"Yes, he did, Dave." Jangum replied. "That's exactly what he said. But we're not going to listen to Carl. We have to meet Agent 43 at Booth D-276 in twelve minutes."

"D-276?" I asked, puzzled. "The sign said Booths 1-250."

"I know, I know." Jangum persisted. "Just trust me. You'll see in a few minutes."

For the next few minutes, we continued to walk down the dark corridor. We passed relay room after relay room, all the way from 1 to 250. Then, at last, we arrived at the end of the corridor. Jangum reached out a hand, and pressed it against the empty wall. Nothing happened. Then she called me over, and told me to put one hand in the exact same place as hers, but mirrored to the other side of the wall. I agreed, still thinking it was a meaningless exercise, but was surprised to find that a door-sized portion of the wall between us slowly became transparent. In fact, it became completely invisible. I peered through the gap that had now appeared in the wall, and saw that there were more rooms.

"251-300?" I asked, counting off the doors that I could see through the gap.

"251-300." Jangum nodded. "And we now have… 7 minutes. Come on." She led us quickly through the hole in the wall, and we sealed the entranceway behind us. Then, we continued down the corridor until we reached relay room D-276. Jangum opened the door; this one had a basic handle, and then we stepped in to the room. It was much brighter than the corridor outside, but was considerably run-down. At the far side of the room was a slightly raised platform, surrounded by three black columns, which held up a large, needle-like device, pointed straight down at the platform.

"This section was closed off over three hundred years ago." Jangum explained as we walked into the room. "The Rebellion re-opened it under the noses of the Federation, and now we have our own unrestricted access to and from the Mothership. Well, the technology's a little outdated. The rest of the base has been upgraded a lot since then."

"It'll get you there," came a voice from the side of the room. "And that's all that matters, isn't it?" I looked over, and saw a Wolvark stood by a large control panel.

"Guys, this is Agent 43 of the Celestial Cataloguing Division." Jangum said, introducing the busy agent. "He's going to relay us to Mothership Alpha One."

Stepping over to us, the Wolvark shook each of our hands in turn. "Name's Steven," he said.

"I thought you worked for the Conviction Division," I said, thinking back to the Operation: TASM report that I'd read back at Vykkers Labs 02.

"Conviction Division?" He asked. "Oh, you must have me confused with James."

"Who's James?" I asked, confused by all these new names.

"Agent 43 of the Conviction Division." Steven replied.

"A-" I sighed. "But you're Agent 43, aren't you?"

"Yes." He assured me. "Of the Celestial Cataloguing Division."

"Anyway," Jangum announced, interrupting our riveting conversation. "Shall we get to it, Steven?" Agent 43 nodded, and went back over to the controls. "You know, Alan, there are over seventy-three billion agents in the Federation, across nine-hundred million different divisions." She continued. "That's nine-hundred million Agent 43s."

"Doesn't that get confusing?" I asked. "All those people with the same number?"

"We all have different clearances," She sighed. "Did you honestly think that there were only about fifty agents in an organisation that governs trillions of people?"

Steven came back over then. He told us that the relay was ready, and for the benefit of Abe, Dave, Nelson and me, he explained how exactly it worked.

"You'll have to go one at a time," He told us. "Otherwise your molecules will entangle. The relay will disintegrate you, and transmit you at the speed of light to the Mothership. You should arrive in about 8 weeks."

"8 _weeks_?!" Abe exclaimed. "Isn't it instantaneous?"

"Abe's right." I agreed. "When I came from Earth to Oddworld, it was instant. In fact, it was completely seamless."

"Yes," Jangum began, "But that was the height of Federation technology. Remember, this machine hasn't been updated in three centuries. Light speed will have to do."

Reluctantly, we all agreed to have our bodies completely destroyed for an 8-week period. Steven assured us that we'd be unconscious for the whole journey. We wouldn't feel a thing until we arrived two months later. It was then decided that I would be the first one to be transmitted by the relay. I stepped on to the platform, tensing myself up. This was really it, I thought to myself. I was leaving Oddworld, for the second time. But this time, I wasn't going home. Oh no, this time, I was going somewhere that was possibly even worse than Oddworld. I was going to the Galactic Federation Mothership.

The whole thing felt so rushed. I'd been on Oddworld for such a short time compared to my last visit. I'd been whisked away by a secret agent to defeat an unseen enemy of the Milky Way itself. It was like some kind of sci-fi James Bond film. Was I really ready for this? To willingly go to a place where I knew I might never come back from? I began to worry. I had foolishly placed my trust, and my life, in the hands of a woman I'd met three days ago. This mysterious Curie J. Jangum. I had officially lost my mind, I thought. 'That's it. I've gone crazy. I'm imagining it all.'

But I wasn't. I wasn't imagining it. This was all real. And this was where it all began. Not two weeks ago, when I'd met up with Abe at the Feeco Depot. This was where the journey truly began.

"Ready?" Steven asked. I nodded. He reached out to a huge lever on the side of the control panel, and pulled it down with both hands. I felt the lower half of my body suddenly go numb. I looked down, and saw that my legs were slowly evaporating into thin air. The numbness flowed upwards, reaching my torso, and then my shoulders. There was no going back now, I knew that for sure.

I looked over at Jangum, for the final time for the next 8 weeks. "Alan?" She asked, as my neck began to disintegrate. "Good luck."

"You too." I smiled. Just as my head began to disappear, I saw Steven reach out for a big, blue button on the console. He pushed it down firmly, and within an instant, I was gone. For the next eight weeks, I'd see, hear and feel nothing. And after that, I'd be on Galactic Federation Mothership Alpha One. After that, the final chapter of my story would begin.

And it was going to be a big one.

 **THANK YOU FOR READING 'ODDWORLD: AL'S EXODDUS'**

 **Coming Soon!**

 **Something New 'n' Tasty**

' **ODDWORLD: AL'S ODDVENTURE'**


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